


The Next Target

by MagnaVictoria (Meaninglessness)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Magically Powerful Harry, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Tom Riddle, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 23:17:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9209750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meaninglessness/pseuds/MagnaVictoria
Summary: Harry, depressed about losing Sirius, curses Fate for making his life so miserble and is accidentally heard by Fate. Fate, who was bored with her job, had decided to pay the mortal realm a visit for something fun to do. After hearing Harry, she decides she's offended, but also interested, for Harry Potter's life has never been boring and therefore goes to him, seeking an adventure. In an atempt to prove to him she, unlike her predecessors, is not a cruel woman, Fate, also known as Katelyn Dalton, decides to give Harry a chance at happiness, help him with anything he wishes. When Harry agrees, he is whisked away to 1935 and de-aged into an eight year old before being taken to an orphanage. An orphanage with a certain Tom Riddle in it. What Harry doesn't know though, is that Katelyn Dalton is and has always been a teenager obsessed with matchmaking. Her next targets: Harry and Tom.DON'T EXPECT UPDATES BEYOND CHP. 8





	1. A Bored Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Another of my stories from FFN!

A pen tapped lightly against the desk in a slow rhythm as She sat, slumped, in her study. She was, for some reason or another, bored. So extremely bored that She would rather go through her death and that… _ceremony_ thing again. And that was probably the epitome of boredom. She could remember the day She ascended quite clearly and standing in the middle of a ritual circle for six hours straight was not Her idea of fun. Or, at least, it was six hours if we went by Earth's way of calculating time. That was the day She went from normal mortal, to all-powerful immortal being. Okay, well, not all-powerful, but still pretty damn awesome.

She _could_ go and read about all the misfortunes of everyone who'd ever lived, but even that got boring. Plus, being 'Fate' meant that pretty much instinctively knew pretty much _everything_.

And _that_ meant life (Or, rather, death) was boring.

Being an immortal generally meant you didn't have much to do with mortals and kept to other immortals. There wasn't really a reason for it, but immortals didn't get involved. Unless it really did get boring enough to make up some silly reason for visiting the mortals, like Death did when trying to collect the souls of the Peverell brothers.

Sure, She sent prophecies to help people and guide them, changing what Destiny had written – not that much was actually decided by Destiny; the immortals usually let the mortals' choices govern their fates or it'd mean a _lot_ of work for them – to make sure things kept moving. Destiny was always the one to write out the possibilities of what would happen without Their direct interference, the decisions most likely to be made, the ones least likely to be made and if the situation was big enough for Them to interfere or not. Fate, on the other hand, was the one who decided how they should interfere and did the actual interfering. She was the one who had direct contact with the mortals and She was the one with the actual power to change things. Of course, there were things that couldn't be changed, like one's will, soul, personality, et cetera. But She had quite a bit of power over everything else.

Still, that didn't change the fact that being Fate was _boring_.

Her life as a mortal, as Katelyn Dalton, was so much more fun! But she just _had_ to die and get picked as the previous Fate's successor, didn't she?

It was fun to stay in the mortal realm and all, but…

Actually, she was getting bored enough to go to leave for the mortal realm… again.

With that thought in mind, Katelyn stood and left for Earth.

Hopefully, this would be fun.

_.:*Fate*:._

Harry Potter woke with a jolt. He sat up in bed, sweat beading his head and gasping for breath as he tried to calm down. Feeling his pounding heart slow to a reasonable pace, he took a deep, shaky breath and put his head in his palms.

That had been a horrible nightmare. It was a horrible nightmare that plagued him time and time again, ruling his dreams and sleep.

_Sirius, eyes wide and shocked, was thrown back by the spell and falling… falling…_

Harry shook his head fiercely; he had to stop thinking about it!

"Do you really hate me this much, fate? Why am I subjected to such things…? Was I evil in another life or something and now you've decided to punish me? Why did you have to take Sirius from me? Why are you so cruel? I hate you…" he whispered into his hands, giving a shaky laugh. All he wanted was to be normal, to be 'just Harry', to be-

A snort. "No, of course not. I'm not cruel; I didn't do anything." The indignant-sounding voice startled the boy and he jolted up, grabbing for his wand and glasses as he squinted into the darkness. There was no one there. His breath came out in short gasps due to his panic and something told him he wasn't as alone as it seemed. He quickly put his glasses on and looked around, realizing he was screwed if the presence in his room was an enemy since he didn't have his wand. "I'm no enemy of yours, boy."

Harry tensed at the voice, eyes narrowed. This… presence could read his mind. Gathering his Gryffindor courage, he decided to speak. "Who's there? Show yourself," he hissed.

At his demand, two pinpricks of light shone from the darkness, one an eerie gold glow and, to its left, a similar deep blue glow. The lights slowly got closer and, as the moonlight shone through the window, they were revealed to be eyes. The glowing eyes were framed by long, silvery lashes that matched the colour of the person – the woman's – hair. As more of the woman came into view, Harry realized this wasn't any ordinary woman and could only gape as he stared. The goddess – for that was all that she could be – was stunningly beautiful, ethereal in every sense, but didn't look much older than him. She seemed to be bored yet her eyes glimmered with amusement. "I was the one you were just accusing of making your life miserable," She responded. Harry shook himself out of his shock and glared, baffled, but before he could ask anything, the girl spoke again. "I'm Katelyn Dalton, though you know me as Fate, many others call me Fortuna or some other names, though I'm not actually 'luck'. You're probably wondering why I'm here," She looked to her nails and studied them, her other hand cradling her elbow, "Well, I was bored and I just so happened to hear you accusing me of making your life horrible and not normal. You also accused me of being cruel, which, I assure you, I am not. In fact, I, contrary to common belief, barely have any control over your future at all."

Harry, coming out of his shock of being told the woman was Fate herself, was warring with himself about believing or not believing the woman. He didn't really think it was possible, but his instinct was telling him that the woman was telling the truth. Then again, this was a world of magic, anything was possible. Fate had grown silent as he pondered over her words. Finally he decided to just hear what the other had to say before coming to a conclusion. Fate grinned at him as he settled his gaze on her, wary. "Why are you here?"

"I was bored." Fate shrugged, "I heard you insulting me. So, I came here to prove what you said wrong… and to give you a chance. I chose you." Her eyes became sad, "You're always forced into situations you don't like. In fact, your current situation is entirely due to the choices made by others, so I hope you no longer blame me in the future. Your future… is very interesting, though I doubt you'll like it very much. In fact, I admire you." Harry blinked in shock at the confession and Fate smirked at him. "I've decided that I very much want to help you get the happiness you deserve, actually. So let's make a deal, human. I'm bored, and you're miserable, so I'll give you a chance at happiness if you let me accompany you. I'll give you the chance to accomplish whatever you desire most as long as it is reasonable and within my power. You see, we immortals can't actually stay in the mortal realm without bonding to a mortal. Most immortals don't do this to save them the heartbreak if their mortal dies. Plus, being bonded is rather arduous for us and we have to follow _rules_." Fate said 'rules' as if the very concept was disgusting. "So, how's about it?"

Harry's jaw floundered for a moment, completely dumbstruck. This was too good to be true. "Any desire?"

"Whatever you want. It doesn't matter if it's to be able to defeat Voldemort or to save your godfather, but I can't say for sure you'll be able to do it, I'm only giving a good chance at it. As I said before, I don't control anyone's fate. I can influence it, I can undo the future if that is my mortal's wish, and I instinctively know what choices people are going to make as long as I do not do any influencing, but I cannot write it. It depends solely on the decisions of others."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really?" He could save everyone if he did this. No one would have to die.

Fate nodded and smiled. "Really. So, will you take my offer?"

Harry hesitated a brief moment before looking into Fate's eyes, determination shining in his own. He nodded. Fate's smile grew. "Great…" Suddenly, Fate started glowing slightly and a bright flash lit up the room before giving into darkness…

_.:*Fate*:._

He could smell the freshly cut grass beneath him and hear the birds chirping. The sunlight was resting heavily on his eyelids and the wind was cooling him pleasantly. He felt so free, so relaxed at that point that he just wanted to drift off to sleep…

_§Human!§_

He groaned at the voice next to his ear and rolled over, curling up. He just wanted to go to sleep.

_§Still alive in there? Yeesh. I didn't take you sixty-one years into the past to watch you sleep, no matter how endearing you may look as an eight year old. There's someone coming! Wake up, human, now!§_

His eyes snapped open as the words registered in his mind and he quickly sat up. His emerald gaze landed on the nondescript garden snake next to him. He blinked in surprise.

 _§Fate?§_ Harry asked in Parseltongue, bewildered at why Fate was a common garden snake. _§Why are you a garden snake?§_

Fate gave him a _look_ that was asking him if he was stupid or not. _§Who else would it be? I did want to accompany you. Also, do call me Fortuna or Katelyn for when I am in my human form so that people would not think you weird for calling me Fate. As for why I'm a garden snake, we can commune this way without most listening in. Now that we are bonded and I am anchored to the mortal realm, I have lost quite a few of my… abilities, so this is the best way to communicate. It's quiet and there are only very few that can understand. I also prefer to not be as noticeable as a human.§_

_§Okay… But why are you a garden snake not, I dunno, a black mamba or something?§_

Fortuna graced him with another look that had him cringing. _§Human. I, like you, prefer to be normal. Plus, how do you think people would react to you having a black mamba around your shoulders twenty four seven?§_ Harry smiled sheepishly and Fortuna continued. _§Anyways, on to what really matters. I have transported you to the year 1935 and you are now in an eight year old body. Your surname is now Selwyn and you come from a fairly rich, but isolated pureblood wizarding family. There's someone coming and he will find you and take you to an orphanage. I've already pretty much exhausted my energy and I had to use your bond with Tom Riddle to be able to transport you and have enough energy to make the desired changes. That is why you are currently eight, the same age as Riddle. I've made you proof of your existence, altered your magical signature and made sure that you have the blood of the Selwyns. You are their heir. You will fake amnesia as to cover up your lack of memory. Your journey, human, begins in the orphanage. I wish you luck, for I cannot actually do much until I've recovered enough energy.§_ With that, Fortuna slithered up his sleeve, leaving Harry to contemplate on what happened.

He suddenly realized that there was no going back. This was the road he had chosen and he couldn't go back to his time. This was his life now. But everyone important to him was still alive. They hadn't died yet and Harry would make sure they lived happy lives in the future. He would succeed.

A faint rustling from a nearby bush had Harry quickly standing and facing the source of the noise, automatically reaching for his wand, only to remember it wasn't there. The next moment, a man stumbled into view, cursing mildly. The man was short and had a large moustache, his blond hair flat on his head. He seemed to be a policeman. He reminded Harry of a thin version of Vernon and the boy eyed the man warily.

The man didn't notice him for a while, but blinked in surprise when his eyes caught sight of Harry. The eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You, boy, what are you doing here?" the policeman barked, startling Harry.

"Er… I-I don't, um, know… sir…" he stuttered, thinking about how intimidating the policeman looked from his eight year old point of view.

 _§How eloquent…§_ came a quiet and amused hiss from around his neck. Harry internally scowled at the immortal-turned-snake, but gave no outward reaction. Then, he suddenly realized something felt… off. It felt right… but… different. He just felt much lighter, much more powerful. There was this odd, simmering power beneath his skin and, though it was familiar, it wasn't there before. He felt the power and almost gasped as it flared out. He felt invincible. His mind also felt much clearer and-

"Where are your parents?"

Harry snapped back to reality and he realized that the policeman had been scrutinizing nhim for a while now.

"I… don't know…" Harry replied, doing his best to look lost and confused. Judging by how the policeman's gaze softened, it had worked. The man sighed and gaze Harry a pitying look.

"You must be an orphan. Come on, I'll take you to the orphanage…" The man held his hand out to Harry, bowing slightly to get eye-level. Harry bit his lip and hesitantly took the policeman's hand. The man then began leading him the way he came and to a road where a police car was waiting for them. The man began talking to another policeman before he left and the other policeman turned to smile at Harry.

"Hello there, little one, what's your name?" the officer asked. Harry stared up at the man with wide, innocent eyes as he answered with a quiet and hesitant 'Harry Selwyn' as if he weren't sure about his own name, then he added an 'I'm eight, sir… I think'. "Now, come with me, we're going to get someone to take care of you, alright?" Harry just nodded and followed the officer.

Soon, they were inside the car and driving towards the nearest orphanage. The officer continued to question Harry and Harry gave vague, hesitant and shy answers, mainly 'I don't know'. After a while, an awkward silence fell inside the car and Harry was relieved when they finally parked outside of a shabby, gloomy looking building.

He silently trailed after the officer, through the gates and to the front door, slightly intimidated by the sight of the orphanage. It was really… grey and dull here, he noticed, and a grim place to grow up in. On his way over, he spied a few children playing in the yard who stared at him as he walked by, but what really caught his attention was a frighteningly familiar boy who sat alone under a tree, reading a book.

Tom Riddle.

There was no mistaking it.

The boy's gaze suddenly shot up to meet Harry's and Harry inhaled quickly, holding his breath. Panic and fear suddenly gripped him and his heart began to beat wildly. The young boy resembled the memory Harry had met in his second year, just younger.

This was Voldemort.

The other, older boy's gaze quickly went back to the book, dismissing Harry quickly.

 _§Child! Calm yourself!§_ the hiss had him releasing a startled breath and jumping slightly. _§Take a deep breath, human! Your magic is going wild!§_ Harry closed his eyes and inhaled before expelling the breath quite forcefully. He hoped his outward reaction wasn't as obvious as his inner turmoil. It was then that he realized that the wild, enthralling power that was simmering beneath his skin before was now swirling about, licking at his surroundings, lashing out in an attempt to protect. He looked down and could see small cracks running through the stone path and quickly tried to restrain his magic. It slowly receded along with his panic, hiding just beneath his skin, waiting to be called on once more to protect its master. He thought he could feel something else though, spreading curiously around him, but the feeling was gone as Fortuna hissed irritably and shifted so that she was wrapped more firmly around his arm, her head on his shoulder.

"So you must be Harry," a voice said near to him. Harry didn't startle this time, merely looking up at the unknown woman who was smiling in a reassuring manner at him. He looked to the officer who had brought him here and then back to the woman before lowering his gaze and nodding shyly. "I'm Mrs. Cole, the matron of this orphanage. You will be living here now, Harry, alright?" Harry nodded again.

The officer bid them farewell before leaving and Harry followed Mrs. Cole inside. The inside of the orphanage was just as shabby and dull as the outside, but it was very clean. It wasn't bad by any standards, though it did look rather… grey. Mrs. Cole was talking about something, but Harry wasn't paying attention. Instead, his mind wondered to the reaction his magic had just now.

He had never felt anything like that before. His magic had never been so… active. Well, when he had destroyed Dumbledore's office, it was active, but it felt different, weaker, less sentient, and it had been slightly tiring, drawing it out like that. But, just now, he had felt a rush of power, abundant power. It had flooded his body and the air around him, too. He wondered where that power had come from. Maybe… Fortuna did something…? He would ask her later.

"… be sharing a room with Tom Riddle; it's the only free room with a bed at the moment," Harry snapped back to attention at the future dark lord's name, "Your room is room 27, right over here." Harry looked into the room and then at Mrs. Cole, seeing a sympathetic and apologetic light in her eyes. "If you feel the need to change rooms, we shall do our best to make accommodations." Absently, Harry noted how she spoke to him as if he were an adult as he nodded and stepped inside the room. "The bed on the right is yours. Don't be late for dinner."

Harry blinked as she shut the door, leaving the room. He didn't even know when dinner was. In fact, he wasn't even paying attention when she showed him the dinner hall, which he was positive that she did because why else would she be acting as if Harry should know where it was?

 _§Mind letting me down, mortal?§_ the hissed question was laced with annoyance and Harry grinned, quickly moving to the bed so that Fortuna could safely slither from his sleeve. He was shocked, though, when instead of the common garden snake he had been expecting, a black mamba lowered itself onto his new bed. When the snake caught Harry's expression, Harry had the vague impression she was raising an eyebrow at him inquisitively.

Harry quickly stopped gaping. _§Why are you a black mamba?§_ was the first thing that came form his mouth.

_§It was your suggestion.§_

_§Right…§_

_§Anyhow, dinner is at six, in case you weren't paying attention, and the dining hall is on the first floor. You can't miss it.§_

_§Okay, thanks…§_ Then Harry remembered what he had been complementing. _§Fortuna? Did you do something to my magic? It seems to have… changed.§_

 _§Ah, yes…§_ Fortuna bobbed her head as if expecting the question and curled into a more comfortable position. _§Before, your magic seemed to always be occupied with something in your mind and magical core which made you weaker and less able to call upon your magic. I released it from that duty, so that you could have full access your magic. It was also tampering with your mental capability.§_

 _§Oh…§_ Harry muttered, sitting down and delving into his thoughts once more.

_.:*Fate*:._

He had felt it. Oh, he had felt it. As soon as he had locked gazes with the other boy, he had felt the unbridled power flooding the air. At first it had been a mere tingle when the boy had first walked in, but then he felt the power that was so alike to his own when he had looked up. So alike, but it wasn't as… intense as his own. And, though he didn't show it on his face, Tom Riddle was intrigued.

It was the first time he had felt power like that which wasn't his own. That new boy was special, just like Tom and Tom could feel the possessive feelings already starting to rise within him. It was pull that drew him to the other boy and he couldn't help but feel as if the boy should belong to him. It was a strange, almost illogical sense of ownership, but what Tom wanted, he got, no buts about it.

Calmly standing up, Tom closed his book and brushed invisible dirt from his clothes before heading indoors to find the new kid that had caught his curiosity so. As he was climbing the stairs to his room, the voice of the matron suddenly held him back.

"Tom?" Tom looked back blankly at the woman. "The new boy, Harry, is going to be sharing a room with you," she informed him curtly before leaving.

As Tom watched her leave, he felt a slow smirk spread across his face. This was going to be easier than he thought. He went back to climbing the stairs, expressions hidden under a perfect mask, but excitement bubbling within him. He opened the door to his room and saw the other boy, who was sitting on the free bed, jump and turn to him with wide eyes. Tom studied the boy carefully.

The boy – Harry – looked quite similar to him. They both had dark hair, though Harry's was longer and a little wild while Tom's was shorter, in neat waves. They both had aristocratic features, Harry's being more soft though, almost feminine. They both had green eyes. Harry's was a bright emerald green, while Tom's was darker. Harry had a petite and thin stature and was shorter than Tom. Tom could see a trace of panic and curiosity in his eyes before the other boy turned away, fiddling with his shirt sleeve.

Tom, having not decided on how to approach the boy yet, decided to ignore him for the moment. He walked to his bed and sat down, reopening his book as he stretched his legs. However, his mind was not focused on reading, but, instead, focused on studying the other boy.

This was going to be interesting.


	2. 'Freaked' Out

"Um… H-hey…" The timid voice pulled Tom from his reading and he glanced up at the new boy. Harry had walked over and was now standing only a foot away, his gaze adverted as he stood tense. He had been watching the other boy for the better of half an hour and Harry had been unexplainably uncertain and panicky throughout that entire time. It had been amusing at first to watch Harry fidget and squirm as if he knew Tom was watching him, but it got boring quickly and he had returned to his reading.

Tom raised a questioning eyebrow as he stared at Harry. "Yes?" he prompted after a moment of silence. Harry was really delicate looking, he realized, seeming to be at least a year or two younger than him. He was even more feminine up close. There just this beauty surrounding him that drew Tom in just like his power did. And that power was oh so-

"What are you reading?"

Tom snapped back into focus. He had been so occupied with the feel of _power_ that he hadn't realized his mind had wandered. His and Harry's power was too much for such a small space, but the feel of that power was so delicious... Tom raised the book slightly as a gesture for him to look at the title as his eyes went back to the thick book within his grasp.

"You're reading about psychology?" The incredulous and sudden question had Tom looking up again. Harry's eyes were slightly wide with surprise and he was leaning over to get a look at the context. " _The Principles of Psychology_ by William James," Harry read aloud, making a sound of surprise in his throat. "That looks like a very advanced book. You can really read it?" His eyes no longer held any nervousness, only curiosity and surprise, Tom noted, when Harry's gaze rose to meet his once more. Suddenly, a blush rose on Harry's cheeks and he backed away, seemingly embarrassed when he realized how close they were. Tom blinked. The only word to describe Harry now would be adorable.

"Yes, I can read it, or I wouldn't be reading it now, would I?" Tom drawled, arching his eyebrows, and Harry's blush deepened. "Can _you_ read it?" Tom knew that the way he said this was insulting, but he wanted to provoke the boy. Hopefully, he was more useful than the others in this thrice-damned orphanage, and that would mean Harry had even more value than he thought.

Harry's blush turned angry and he looked offended. "Of course I can!"

"Prove it," Tom merely commanded, shoving the book in Harry's direction.

Harry scowled at him and took the book. "Er… _Psychology is the Science of Mental Life, both of its phenomena and of their conditions. The phenomena are such things as we call feelings, desires, cognitions, reasonings, decisions, and the like; and, superficially considered, their variety and complexity is such as to leave a chaotic impression on the observer*_ ,"Harry then stopped abruptly, raising his gaze to look at Tom,"See?" Harry seemed smug, but Tom could see slight panic in his eyes, "I _can_ read it!"

Dismissing the panic he saw as Harry merely being afraid that he hadn't done well, Tom smirked back at Harry as he slowly reached over and took his book back. "Well done…" he congratulated the other boy, feeling proud. The possessiveness swelled slightly and Tom was glad this new boy was so clever.

Harry was definitely his now. He was the only one worth anything.

_.:*Freaked*:._

A moment of awkward silence occurred as Tom kept his attention solely on the book, ignoring the other boy. "Um… I'm going to the loo…" Harry muttered before turning and fleeing from the room. He walked down the corridor and quickly found the bathroom before going inside.

That had just been so… creepy. He had completely panicked and lost his cool, having no idea of how to face Tom. It had been stupid to read that psychology book because normal eight year-olds should not be able to read that kind of material so fluently.

Then again, Tom could read it. Harry realized now that Tom Riddle was not just any boy, he was a real genius. He was a very dangerous genius, but Harry could not bring himself to hurt the other boy. It would be simple if he just killed Tom, but Tom was just... a boy. He was just a child right now and Harry couldn't hurt him.

Although… that look in Tom's eyes… It wasn't a… child's look. It wasn't something you'd expect seeing in his eyes. It was dark and possessive almost and it freaked Harry out.

Sighing, Harry walked in front of the sink, splashing some water in his face before looking up at his reflection in the slightly cracked mirror…

And withholding a startled cry.

"Oh… My… God…" He leaned forwards to get a closer look at himself. "Oh dear lord…" he breathed, "I look like a bloody girl!" Panic rose within him again as well as embarrassment and he gaped at his reflection.

 _§What are you going on about now, child? I'm trying to sleep!§_ the irritated hiss had him looking at Fortuna and Harry knew that this was her doing, though he was panicking too much to be angry.

_§Fortuna! I look like a bloody girl! What did you do!?§_

The snake tilted her head to the side in a curious manner before hissing out a laugh. _§Don't worry. You look adorable!§_

 _§That's the problem though!§_ Harry would've whined and wailed if the language of snakes had allowed him to, but he was stuck with hissing for now. _§I don't want to look like a girl! I was already… petite and small before! I can't handle feminine, too!§_

 _§The reason you look feminine, Harry, is because I had to make sure you didn't look like a Potter.§_ Harry blinked, stopping his rant, and looked at Fortuna curiously. _§I pulled out a few characteristics and features from your mother and your grandmothers.§_

_§Why not my grandfather then?§_

_§Because, your paternal grandfather had the Potter look and your maternal grandfather looked like your aunt.§_

_§Oh…§_ Harry frowned, disappointed, _§I see…§_

 _§I'm going back to my nap…§_ the black mamba informed him before curling around his arm once more.

_.:*Freaked*:._

Harry reached for the doorknob of his room, still slightly bothered by the fact he had become feminine. However, before he could grab the knob, the door opened suddenly to reveal Tom. Harry blinked rapidly, startled, and didn't do anything as Tom brushed past him. Then, he snapped out of his stupor and followed the other boy.

"Er… Tom?" he called out, halting the taller boy in his tracks. Tom turned his head around to peer curiously at Harry. Not seeing a negative reaction, Harry gauged that it was alright to call Tom by that name. "Where are you going?"

"Dinner," came the monotonous reply as Tom turned back around and walked away.

Harry frowned and then suddenly made a split second decision that would change his life. If he were to change Tom… to befriend Tom… then he could change the future! Plus, he was interested in what Voldemort was like as a child and Tom _did_ seem pretty lonely, he could do with a friend or two. Even if he wasn't here to change the future, he'd probably still want to befriend the boy. Something just drew Harry to Tom and Harry really, _really_ wanted to become a genuine friend. With that in mind, he rushed to catch up with the older boy, walking only a step behind Tom. Tom either didn't notice him or ignored him.

After descending the steps, they quickly made their way to the dining hall and Harry realized you really _couldn't_ miss it. It was rather large and very noticeable with an archway that led directly from the hallway into the dining hall. Inside were rows of tables and a counter that was for getting food that ran across the back. Although it was every bit as grey and boring as the rest of the orphanage, it was also just as clean. There was only another three kids in the dining hall and one supervisor.

Suddenly, a warm hand grasped his own and started to drag him across the room. Startled, he looked up at Tom, panicking once more at the sudden movement. "T-Tom… what…?"

He was cut off when he was deposited in a seat at one of the tables in the corner. "Sit and stay here," the other boy ordered before leaving for the counter. Bewildered, Harry obediently stayed where he was, watching through his fringe as Tom went and got two trays of food before bringing both trays back over and pushing one in front of Harry. Harry stared at his tray of… food before looking at Tom, who was already eating with neat, little bites. Tom looked back at him after a moment. "Eat," came the command before Harry was once again ignored in favour of the psychology book.

Harry blinked again in shock and picked up his fork, prodding the food on his tray. "Thank you," he mumbled shyly as he gingerly took a bite. It wasn't very… appetizing… but it was still better than what the Dursleys had given him and it actually looked like food.

The two ate in silence as the rest of the hall started filling up. Harry noticed how no one sat at their table and how everyone seemed to be surprised to see him sitting with Tom. He also noticed the hostile, disdainful and fearful glints in some of the orphan's eyes as they looked at Tom. And he also noticed, much to his anger, how the other orphans seemed to have gotten more food than Tom. Even he did. He had an apple while Tom just had that… grub.

They ate in silence and, after a while, they finished their food and Tom took both trays and dumped them off before dragging Harry back to their room where he was deposited on his bed and Tom shoved a book into his hands. "Here. For you," was all Tom said before sitting next to the smaller boy and becoming engrossed in his book once more.

Harry, still very bemused and slightly angry, took a look at his book and sighed internally. He gave Tom another glance and cracked open the book.

_.:*Freaked*:._

Harry was starting to get really uncomfortable. They had read for about fifteen minutes before Harry began getting bored, but he continued to pretend reading. He was still trying to get his mind around everything that has happened so far, so he had no idea how exactly to act around a mini-Voldemort. Around fifteen minutes later, Tom had set down his book and began… staring at him. Like, _staring_ staring. Harry didn't even think he was blinking. It was really, _really_ creepy and Tom was still doing it.

Harry shifted uncomfortably and glanced up at Tom. He really couldn't take this any longer so he took a deep breath, looked up and asked, "What? Is there something wrong?" His insides were squirming and he vaguely wondered why he was always so nervous and panicky around this child-Voldemort when he never felt like this with the more dangerous, dark-lord version. He could feel Fortuna shifting under his clothes as if to calm him.

Tom only looked down at his book again. Feeling annoyed at being ignored, Harry huffed, shifting over towards Tom and poking him in the shoulder. Tom looked at him, arching his eyebrows in silent question.

"Let's play a game," Harry suggested.

"A game," Tom echoed, sounding somewhat disdainful and incredulous. "What game?"

"The… uh… ABC game."

"The ABC… game?"

"Yeah, like, we choose a subject and then say a word, or phrase, that has to do with that subject and begins with 'a' first and then the other letters."

Tom was silent for a moment and Harry made puppy eyes at Tom to try and get him to agree. Finally, Tom sighed and set his book down. "Fine."

"Yay!" Harry's expression became jubilant at once. "Let's do animals! I'll start! A for Ant."

"Bear."

"Cat."

"Dog."

"Elephant."

"Frog."

"Giant Squid!"

"Excuse me?" Tom looked at Harry incredulously. "Giant squid?"

"Yeah! A giant squid! And not just any giant squid, it's _the_ Giant Squid," Harry nodded enthusiastically, smiling like a loon and using his arms to gesture how large the Giant Squid was. It wouldn't hurt to 'know' about the Giant Squid.

"There is no such thing as _the_ giant squid. Squids are rather small in size," Tom said, sniffing disdainfully at the childish, made-up animal. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yes, there is. You'll see."

"Whatever. Let's just continue with the game… Hyena."

"Er… What comes after 'H'…? Oh yeah! I for… Incubus!"

Tom gave Harry a startled look. "What…? Nevermind. Jaguar."

"H… I… J… K! K? What begins with 'K'? Oh yeah! Kneazle!"

"What on the Earth is a Kneazle?" Tom asked, a completely baffled look on his face. The look was so out of place on Tom's face that Harry started giggling. Tom narrowed his eyes "Stop giggling and answer my question!"

That one command from Tom had Harry shutting up and scowling. "I do not giggle!"

"Yes, you do. You just did," Tom stated, "Just answer my question."

"A kneazle, for your information, is an incredibly intelligent magical breed of cat. They're really cute, too," Harry said smugly, ignoring the first part of Tom's sentence.

Tom just sighed and shook his head. "This is just another of those childish made-up animals. Stop being so naive, there's no such thing as magic… nor is there such things as kneazles." Tom picked up his book and began reading again.

"Yes, there is!" Harry argued, but Tom was already absorbed in his book, ignoring the smaller boy. Harry huffed, glaring at the wall and pouting childishly. He heard Fortuna trying to stifle her hissed giggles.

_§Nice try in convincing him.§_

_.:*Freaked*:._

"They gave you less than everyone else."

Tom looked up at Harry when the other boy spoke up after a long moment of silence. The smaller boy was frowning, seemingly angry, and fiddling with the hem of his baggy shirt. Tom was confused. He didn't really understand why the other boy seemed angry. He was used to getting less food than everyone else. The other children had told him that monsters didn't deserve food. It was rather annoying, but it was bearable. He knew he was different. Everyone else did, too. The others may treat him like garbage, but he knew he was special, that he was above them and that was enough for him.

Harry looked at him, emerald eyes glittering with anger. "Why did they get more than you?"

Tom sighed. He might as well tell Harry about what the others thought of him before they did. It wouldn't matter anyways. Harry was his now, whether the younger boy liked it or not. "They said that monsters deserve to be starved." His tone was casual and dismissive.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "You're not a monster!" he denied vehemently before sniffing disdainfully and folding his arms, "They must be blind. I don't see any big teeth or sharp claws." Then, he blushed slightly.

Tom blinked incredulously before his mouth twitched up into a smile. He left out a small chuckle at the other's attempt at humour which only made the smaller boy blush harder, obviously thinking that he had said something stupid.

"What? It's true! You're perfectly human! You don't deserve to be treated the way you have been!"

Tom abruptly stopped laughing and turned his head sharply to stare at Harry who fidgeted under the intense scrutiny. Tom had never been told he was normal, that he belonged, or that he deserved what everyone else did. He had never even been told he was human. He then smiled at the other boy genuinely, and Harry grinned back, his emerald eyes seeming to light up.

_.:*Freaked*:._

It had been two weeks since Harry had come to the orphanage and he was feeling incredibly accomplished and cheerful. After seeing Tom truly smile for the first time, he swore that he'd make the other boy smile like that again. To make him smile a truly happy smile. So, he spent the following few days trying to bring some joy into Tom's life.

He had persuaded Tom into playing a make-shift version of Jenga with him. Apparently, Jenga didn't exist yet, so they took some of the building blocks to play it instead. Tom had laughed at him when he lost the fifth time in a row, began pouting and vowed about never playing that game with Tom again. Although, he did suspect that Tom had used magic to stop the blocks from falling when it was his turn, but Harry couldn't prove it. However, it was worth it to hear Tom's laughter. He never thought that Tom would be able to laugh like that.

The night before last, they had even gotten into a food fight in the dining hall. Harry had accidently gotten some food on Tom and, in retaliation, Tom had flung some back at him before he could apologize. It had gotten into a full-scale food fight, the other children joining in at some point. Ms. Cole had been incredibly flustered when she tried to calm the children down and had gotten into a worse state than most of the children had. There had been food all over her. That had left Tom smirking for the following day, despite him not getting anything to eat as punishment. To the both of them, it served her right for picking on Tom just because he was different. Harry had saved him an apple and an orange so he wouldn't go hungry.

Harry had realized something though, Tom didn't like going outside. Tom almost never went out, which was why he was so pale, unless it was to sit under a tree and read when the weather was nice. He was a bit of a bookworm (Harry was suddenly reminded of Hermione and his heart clenched, missing her) and he was somehow able to be incredibly physically strong without working out. He had learned that the hard way.

Harry was wondering what to do since he was on his own and Tom had left for… well, for something. Then, he recalled Fortuna telling him about the removed obstacle that had been limiting his magic and decided that he'd like to see what was different about it. So, after checking where Fortuna was – she was taking a nap under the bed – he left the room and headed outside.

Once outside, he headed for the back of the building, a secluded corner of the wall that would give him privacy.

However, before he got there, he was stopped by someone calling his name. It was one of the girls in the orphanage, Amy something. She was calling him over. Giving a glance to the secluded corner, Harry hesitantly turned away from it and made his way over.

Amy was waiting for him along with two others, Dennis and… Billy, or something. They were looking at him with concern and worry as well as a slight bit of fear. Harry frowned, wondering what they wanted.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Amy asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Harry's eyebrows bunched up in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

The three exchanged looks. Then, Dennis coughed and asked, "Has… Riddle hasn't done anything to you, has he?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "No…" he said slowly, "Why would Tom do anything to me?" He could feel an anger boiling beneath his skin at their assumptions.

"Well…" Dennis shifted uncomfortably.

Suddenly, Billy coughed and smiled at Harry. "Actually, we just wanted to ask if you wanted to play tag with us." Amy and Dennis nodded, also beginning to smile.

Harry sighed. He guessed that he couldn't completely blame them for being afraid of Tom and this was a chance to gain new friends. They might not be able to fill up the hole that was there after having left his friends, but he might as well try to be as happy as possible. Fortuna did say that this was also a new chance at happiness. Why waste it? So, he smiled back and nodded.

Harry had quite a lot of fun running around and generally making fool of himself in tag, until Tom came over, that is.

When Harry spotted Tom, he immediately stopped and waved, causing him to be tagged by Dennis. The other three kids, after seeing Harry waving, stopped and blanched at the sight of Tom strolling over, their smiles slipping from their faces. They subtly edged back, though Harry was too occupied with noticing the rage in Tom's eyes to realize. Though Tom's face was expressionless, Harry could feel Tom's magic crackling angrily around him. He lowered his raised hand and frowned in slight confusion, jogging up to Tom to meet him halfway.

"Tom, what's wrong? You seem angry…"

"What's wrong?" Tom hissed back, a flash of red entering his eyes. Harry flinched at his tone and eyes and took a few steps backwards, a sudden fear rising within him. "What do you think you were doing? Playing with _them_?" He sent a sneer at the three other children and they scattered, running from him. Confusion made Harry frown once more. He opened his mouth to speak but Tom grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip and pulled him forwards, towering over him. "Who said that you could go and play with them? You're my friend, _mine_." There was a dark, possessive look in Tom's eyes, a look that Harry didn't like at all.

He could feel anger coming to the forefront of his mind and glared defiantly at Tom. He ignored the voice inside his head telling him that it wasn't a good idea to provoke the larger boy. "I'm not _yours_ , Tom. I don't need your permission to make friends or play with others! Don't treat me like an object!" He tried to throw Tom off, but the other was much stronger than he looked. He was barely able to move his arm, never mind throw Tom off.

Tom hissed, the near-parseltongue sound sending a jolt of fear through Harry. Harry was used to hearing that from Voldemort, but he wasn't used to hearing it come from Tom, his friend's, mouth. Then, the stronger boy proceeded to drag Harry back to the building, Harry trying to struggle out of his grip the entire time.

Tom was somehow strong enough to drag Harry all the way up the stairs and into their room where he was released roughly, falling back onto his bed. His arm hurt like hell and he was sure it was bruised. Cradling his injured arm to his chest, Harry glared up at Tom as the taller boy towered over him threateningly. Tom's eyes were almost spitting fire and Harry could see jealousy within them.

"You. Are. _Mine_ ," Tom growled out, emphasizing each and every word, his magic pulsing around him. "You are _my_ friend. You belong to _me_ … I won't allow you to go around frolicking with the likes of _them_." The last word was spat out with so much venom that Harry temporarily faltered, flinching away from the enraged boy. "You're special, just I am… You're my friend. Not theirs!"

"I do _not_ belong to anyone, Tom!" Harry shouted in exasperation, worrying if he had been too loud or harsh with the other boy when he saw pain flash through Tom's eyes. Harry sighed at the hurt look that Tom didn't even bother to cover and sat up straight, looking Tom in the eyes, his gaze softening. All of a sudden, the other boy had just looked so lost and vulnerable that the sight made Harry's heart clench. "Tom… I really do like you and care for you. It's just that… I'm not an object, I'm a person. You can't treat me like that. I want to make my own choices. You'll still be my friend. You'll be my friend forever; I'll never replace you, but you can't try to control me like that. I'm still my own person, okay, Tom?"

Tom's hurt look cleared up, seeing the honesty in Harry's gaze, and he slowly nodded in understanding, though the possessive look didn't diminish. He put a hand on Harry's arm and said, "I'm… sorry, Harry…"

Harry smiled back brightly even as he winced minutely from the pain in his bruised arm. Tom caught that wince and narrowed his eyes. "Are you alright?"

Harry nodded back. "I'm fine."

"Just be careful, Harry. They might hurt you…"

_.:*Freaked*:._

The following day, Harry sort of understood why Tom didn't want him playing with Billy and the others.

Tom and he had made up and everything was fine between them again, making Harry unreasonably happy. He really couldn't explain his irrational happiness, but the other boy really had wormed his way into Harry's heart. On the other hand, Fortuna was acting rather suspiciously. She was taking naps all the time as if she was exhausted, but she already had been resting for two weeks. He waved it off as immortal-snake behavior.

Back in the present day, Harry was just going outside. Now that Tom understood that he could not own Harry, Harry was free to do as he pleased without feeling as if he was doing something wrong. He had decided to play with his new friends again today. Having seen them outside from his window, he decided to join them. Fortuna wrapped herself around his arm, looking pensive as she slithered into place around his neck. Harry wanted to ask why she was so tired all the time, but decided against it since the immortal seemed to be in deep thought.

His three new friends had a bunch of older children with them, but Harry thought nothing of it as he walked over. Billy saw him and noted the others of his presence. He seemed angry for some reason and he was holding a bunny in his arms. Amy and Dennis were behind him, looking unsure.

Frowning, Harry approached, only to stop when Billy abruptly shouted, "Don't come closer!"

"Yeah," another, larger boy spoke up, sneering, "You aren't welcome here, freak!"

"You're just like that Riddle kid. Both freaks. Devil's spawn!"

Insults and jeers rained upon Harry's ears. Amy and Dennis didn't say anything to harm, but did nothing to help either. Harry was hurt that they could be so mean. He bit his lip and swallowed as a few of the older kids advanced on him. And he felt fear. It was uncannily similar to his own childhood from before. He could sympathize with Riddle, having to live in a place like this…

 _§Stupid, moronic, dunderheaded children,§_ Fortuna's hiss was barely registered in his mind. When his mind did register the words, he almost laughed because Fortuna's tone was so similar to Snape's. _§Harry, don't let the meaningless and insensitive words of these children affect you. They mean nothing. They_ are _nothing compared to you.§_

Fortuna's words comforted him. He took that comfort and built a wall around his mind and feelings, glaring back at the advancing children. When they reached for him, he stepped back, and suddenly, Fortuna darted out, hissing and snapping at the large boy's hands. The children panicked and backed away slightly, hurling insults from afar.

Suddenly, they stilled and fell silent. The boy in the lead sneered at Harry, who glared back. "We'll deal with you later." Then the other children scattered and Harry turned and saw Tom, glaring at the children, eyes burning with hate. Then his gaze softened as it fell on Harry, becoming confused as he took in the immortal in disguise.

 _§Bad, stupid little humans! Trying to hurt my master!§_ Fortuna hissed at Tom, rearing as if to attack. Harry bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, not sure if he should reveal his Parseltongue skill now or not. Being in a child's persona, he wouldn't be able to keep the skill hidden from his friend, but if he was going to be like Tom, he'd most likely treasure the skill and keep it secret.

To his surprise, Tom responded to the snake, a faint smile curling his lips. _§I will not harm your master.§_

Fortuna stilled and narrowed her eyes, seeming to be looking for something. She then bobbed her head as if satisfied. _§Speaker. You are a speaker, too,§_ she stated, settling down around Harry's neck. Harry mentally commended her on her acting abilities.

Tom turned to him and stared for a while. Harry lowered his gaze, fidgeting slightly and waiting for a reprimand. Instead, Tom just said, "You can speak to snakes, too, can't you?"

Harry looked up at Tom and nodded. An awkward silence fell between the two. "Parseltongue!" Harry suddenly blurted out. When Tom gazed at him questioningly, Harry blushed, ducking his head, and elaborated. "The language of snakes is called Parseltongue."

Tom was still looking at him oddly, but slowly nodded. "Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *From The Principles of Psychology by William James


	3. Secret Discoveries

Later that day, Harry and Tom were sitting in their room; Tom apparently wanted to get to know Fortuna. Harry sat on his bed, holding a book and watching the two interact with a smile. Tom was sitting on his own bed, cross-legged while Fortuna huddled up in his lap.

"Harry?"

Harry blinked before realizing that Tom was staring at him. "Yeah, Tom?"

Tom looked down at Fortuna, who was almost purring like a cat as the boy scratched her chin. "Why is she called Fortuna?" Tom asked after a while. "What made you name her Fortuna?"

Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How was he meant to answer that? Eventually, he just shrugged. "I don't remember. I guess she sort of reminds me of the goddess Fortuna."

Tom frowned down at the snake, pausing in his ministrations and making Fortuna whine in disappointment. Harry stifled a chuckle as Tom resumed his petting, giving in to the demanding snake. "How does she remind you of Fortuna?"

"… I don't… know. I'm amnesic, remember?" Harry sighed, looking resigned, and shrugged before staring back down at his book again. It was a really interesting book, despite being a history textbook.

 _§I made you lucky. So you named me Fortuna, master.§_ The snake suddenly spoke up in a drowsy voice. Harry had to resist the urge to snort. Fate sure did make him lucky (note the sarcasm), having him grow up in the Dursley household, sending a megalomaniac after him – and said megalomaniac's past self was currently sitting in this very room – and allowing Sirius to die… his thoughts trailed off as he caught Fortuna's eye. The snake was quiet and she seemed to be glaring intently at him as if she could sense his thoughts. He thought he saw a vein twitch somewhere under those dark scales and heard a faint voice warning him that he should stop thinking what he was thinking or else. Harry suppressed a shiver. _§Because master always attracted the 'wrong sorts' and was a trouble magnet, as mother mistress said, I always manage to get him out of trouble, so he decided to name me Fortuna.§_ Harry looked up, staring at Fortuna with an 'oh really?' look on his face. On the other hand, Tom just nodded with a thoughtful look on his face, seeming to believe her. He then looked to Harry and smiled.

"Isn't this great, Harry? You know something about your past now!" Tom seemed genuinely happy for him and Harry stifled a sigh, nodding along. Suddenly, Tom's expression turned dark. "But… this attracting the wrong sorts thing… we should be careful Harry." Harry nodded again, going along with whatever Tom said. Although a faint smile touched his lips when he heard Tom say 'we'.

There was a small period of silence where each was lost in their activities. The only sounds were the flipping of pages and Fortuna's quiet hisses of appreciation. Harry, personally, though that she could do some work on learning how to act like a snake. He was pretty sure most snakes didn't act like that. He turned the page and his eyes were suddenly drawn to a heading.

_The Great War_

He frowned. Was this book talking about the World War I? So far, he had read through the Opium Wars and Modern-ish British history, including a few paragraphs on the Industrial revolution, King Henry VII and whatnot. Of course, this book was rather obviously biased in favour of Britain.

Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. They were going to live through the London Blitz and World War II. And, quite possibly, live through it in this very orphanage. After all, he had been sent to the Dursley's, despite his protests and the fact that Hogwarts, with Dumbledore in it, was just as safe, if not safer, than a muggle home. Especially one where he was not loved nor wanted. Yet Dumbledore still sent him there every year and sprouted his love theory. His eyes narrowed. If there was one thing he didn't like about Dumbledore, it was how the man forced him to return to his muggle relatives every summer. So was Dumbledore going to let them stay here all the way through the war?

No… Harry shook his head. No, he wouldn't. It was one thing to put an orphan in the care of indifferent muggles and a complete other to put a child in a warzone. Dumbledore would never do that…

_.:*Secret*:._

"You should tell him."

Harry stilled at the abrupt suggestion and looked over at the young Hermione lookalike on his bed, bemused. "Huh?"

Fortuna, for that's who it was, blinked back at him, finally looking away from the marble she had been studying for the past fifteen minutes. She was almost exactly like his bookworm of a friend, except for the fact that her hair was straight instead of bushy and she only looked five. Harry's teeth let go of the lip he had been worrying and frowned. Tell Tom about what? Fortuna rolled for eyes and slumped backwards on the bed, yawning and stretching, a very un-graceful action that Harry wasn't used to from her even after Fortuna had shown him her true personality.

"It's a good time to convince him that magic is real, no? He just showed you irrefutable proof that he knows of his power and can use it." Harry frowned at the reminder of his current dilemma and the thought of the lifeless rabbit hanging from the ceiling. Even though he had seen worse things, it still creeped him out when he saw the rabbit hanging from the rafters. It was kind of scary when it happened right in the same building as you, and if he hadn't known about magic, he'd probably be wondering if there was a demon haunting the orphanage or something. Rabbits don't just randomly hang themselves from rafters, after all, and there weren't any ladders or people who were tall enough to have reached up there. "Now, I thought you Gryffs were brave…"

Harry scowled further and grabbed his pillow to hit Fortuna with it.

"Oi!" Fortuna whined as she threw the pillow from her face, "What the fuck was that for!?"

This morning, when all the children were going to play in the rooms, Tom had, oddly enough, suggested they follow. Harry had been pleasantly surprised by this and agreed. It wasn't often that Tom made a suggestion to go and play with the toys that the orphanage offered and when he did, Harry was happy, because Tom would seem much more like an actual child than a mini-Voldemort. Usually, Harry had to beg and give the other puppy eyes in order to get Tom to agree to come and play with him. Although, this morning Tom had been strangely gleeful and excited about going to the playroom.

Before they got there, however, they heard screaming and crying. Harry, having the saving people's thing he had, rushed ahead, only to see Billy's rabbit hanging from the ceiling, Billy crying and the others looking horrified. Tom was quiet and then Billy suddenly turned to accuse Tom of committing the crime. Of course, Harry jumped in to defend Tom at once.

"You have no proof that Tom did this! You can't accuse him of a crime he didn't commit!" he had said, angry. Despite his efforts, the matron of the orphanage still saw him as a possible suspect and dismissed Harry.

Harry had gone back to his room and told Fortuna about what had happened. Fortuna, however, had surprised him by suddenly becoming a human girl before speaking to him in a distinctly un-Fortuna-like way.

"Fuck you, did you have to disturb my nap? I was having such a nice dream, too…" she had grumbled before sighing, "Ay-ah. That's how humans are. You should get used to the fucking prejudice thoughts of the population. You're in 1934! People have just finished believing that Germans are weird, gorilla like abominations that will rape and kidnap whoever they get their hands on. It's human stupidity at its highest. The Holocaust is coming and Germans will actually believe that all their troubles stem from Jews. What do you expect? That they call the police and do a thorough inspection over the death of a rabbit? People will just pick a scapegoat and take it out all on them. You've been in the same position; I don't think it's too hard to believe…" she had drawled, shrugging. "And remember, this is the kid that grew up to be Voldemort we're talkin' 'bout here. I think that he's the only one that could've done this. He is the only one, except for you, with magic, after all."

Harry had been at first stunned by the way Fortuna was reacting, somewhat speechless. She had scratched her head and yawned, swearing and muttering about how she 'couldn't even take a fucking nap' and how every time she was on earth people would always 'bitch about their worries to her' and so on. Eventually, he had shaken off the shock of hearing Fortuna swear and went ahead, thinking about what she said. He remembered Tom's smug, satisfied look that morning and couldn't help but think that, yes, it might have just been Tom after all. But why would Tom kill Billy's rabbit? He had really thought Tom to be innocent just now. He had completely forgotten what Tom was capable of. He was becoming all too comfortable with Tom.

That led to him sitting here now, waiting for Tom to come back so he could ask him if he really was guilty or not. For some reason, he himself burned with guilt. Guilt at becoming real friends with the man that previously would have grown up to kill his parents – previously, because Harry was determined to make a change – guilt at doubting Tom, guilt at becoming comfortable with Tom, guilt at not feeling the pain when he had seen Fortuna become so similar to his bookworm friend. It was utterly agonizing, really, but the more he thought about it, the more apathetic he became and the less the guilt ate at him. And he felt guilty – or, at least, wanted to feel guilty – at not feeling guilt. It was a rather weird feeling, really. He suspected it had something to do with his realization at how similar he and Tom really were. They were similar enough for him to become close to the older boy, even closer than he had become to Hermione and Ron. He felt as if they could understand each other in a way he had never felt before.

It felt disturbingly similar to talking with Tom Riddle's diary, but better.

Maybe this was how it felt to have a sibling? A twin, even.

Harry opened his mouth, about to tell Fortuna that he wasn't going to tell Tom about magic, not yet, but then the door opened and, in a flash, Fortuna was a snake again. Tom pushed the door open and shut it quietly behind him and Harry immediately jumped up, a thought of how he shouldn't care so much for the other flashing through his mind before he pushed it away. He went over to the other boy when Tom didn't move, staring at a distant point out of the window.

"Tom?" Harry inquired, frowning up at the taller boy with concern. Tom's garnet eyes glanced down at him for a moment before he resumed staring out of the window. That was when Harry saw the slight trembling of Tom's shoulders and the way his jaw was clenched. Harry looked up into Tom's eyes.

"They're taking me to be exorcized tomorrow," Tom murmured quietly. If it wasn't for how much Harry was concentrating on listening to Tom and making out his quiet words, Harry wouldn't have realized that Tom's voice was a little shaky.

Tom was scared.

The realization made Harry's eyes go slightly wide and Harry knew, at that moment, that being exorcized was something scary, something that children shouldn't be exposed to at all, something Tom had been through before. It was either that, or Tom was deathly afraid of churches, priests or Christians. Harry didn't believe that exorcism would be that scary, it was regarded as a cure rather than a punishment, after all, but Tom was definitely scared of something.

Harry didn't think that Tom would have ever been so open with anyone, but the other boy proved him wrong again. It amazed Harry that Tom was willing to show his fear since the majority of the time, Tom had a stoic mask on, even in front of him. Usually, the boy wouldn't show anything that could categorize him as weak. Sometimes, he showed amusement or even genuine happiness, but never anything like fear. Tom sighed and gripped Harry's shoulders, resting his forehead against Harry's. The smaller boy shifted uncomfortably, before realizing that Tom was seeking comfort. He hesitantly reached up to pat the other boy's back and a small smile spread across his face. Maybe Tom wasn't so bad after all.

Any remaining doubt was squished from him and Harry stopped trying to feel guilty. All thoughts of confrontation fled his mind.

Tom needed him more than anyone else because he was the only one there for Tom.

_.:*Secret*:._

"Shit! Would you stop moving!? I'm trying to take a bloody fucking nap here!"

Harry stopped bouncing his leg abruptly as he blinked at Fortuna, startled. The immortal was human again and it looked really weird to see her glaring at him from where she was on the floor, half under the bed. She grumbled something incomprehensible and shifted from under the bed, a stunned Harry staring at her all the while. She looked over and raised an eyebrow.

"Language…?" he warned weakly, earning himself a scoff from the seemingly bi-polar immortal.

"You shouldn't worry about him that much you know. Nothing'll happen to him," Fortuna said, stretching, "At least, not today."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, snapping his head around to watch Fortuna through narrowed eyes as soon as he heard the last part of her sentence.

"I highly doubt he was afraid of the exorcism itself. Something else probably got him worried or maybe something went wrong the last time he went to be exorcized," the girl said with a shrug, rolling her head around and cracking her neck. There was a small silence before Fortuna broke it again. "By the way, aren't you going to do some practice?"

"Practice?" Harry parroted, feeling a little stupid when Fortuna gave him an exasperated look.

"Yeah, with magic."

"Magic?" Fortuna rolled her eyes this time. "But I don't have a wand with me." Harry thought that his excuse was rather legitimate, but Fortuna gave him another 'are you stupid?' look. When Harry didn't answer to her look and continued looking confused, the other rolled her eyes again.

"Wandless magic," the immortal explained, taking pity upon him, "Magic without a wand." At the surprised look Harry gave her, Fortuna spoke again. "How else do you think Tom hung that rabbit? And accidental magic is just an uncontrolled form of wandless magic."

"Really? I can actually perform magic without a wand?" The young wizard's interest was piqued at once. All the possibilities!

Fortuna grinned at his eagerness and nodded before becoming a black mamba once more and sliding up the arm Harry offered.

 _§Let us be off, then, human,§_ Fortuna commented in an aloof tone once she was settled. Harry gave her an odd look for her sudden change in attitude, but shrugged it off and made his way outside.

_.:*Secret*:._

Fortuna directed him to a shed behind the building. It was a rather large shed, but seemed unused, sitting right next to the main building on the grass.  
 _§Unlock the shed,§_ Fortuna told him, _§It's currently locked. We can't practice in the open…§_

 _§How?§_ Harry hissed back.

 _§For now, just stare at the lock and say_ Alohormona _, thinking of the effect until your magic reacts. I'll tell you a better way later.§_

Harry frowned but then shrugged, repeating the spell over and over until his magic twitched, making him jump, and rushed to obey. His eyes widened at the feeling of that comforting second skin moving and rushing out as the door was unlocked. The feeling of power, of invincibility had possessed him in that single second that he had used wandless magic. His magic had never felt like that before. Fortuna seemed to grin as he walked into the large shed, shutting the door behind him.

At once, Fortuna dropped to the floor, becoming a girl again, her white dress appearing from nowhere. She stretched and cracked her joints with satisfied sigh. Harry stared, though he was getting used to Fortuna's behavior by now. "Now," Fortuna suddenly said, beginning to crack her knuckles one by one and jolting Harry's attention back to her, "You felt that addicting rush of power when you did your first bit of conscious wandless magic just now, right? Just focus and try to capture that feeling again. Magic depends on intent and imagination. Wands and spells are just tools that are used to make it easier to access your magic. Wands help you use it by opening you to it without emotional stimulation, while spells are for control. They shape your magic for you. With either, you'll have to tug your magic out into helping you and shape it according to your desires." Fortuna had finished cracking her knuckles by now and turned back to face him. "Since you have a lot of magic and it seems very close to you, you'll have an easier time with both parts. Try levitating a rock for practice. You need intent and imagination, remember that."

Harry thought her words over and was surprised to feel the comforting warmth that was his magic tingle in response. He looked around and spotted a pebble on the ground and glared at it, imagining it rising, wanting it to rise, but his magic only swirled around him, almost in an indecisive manner. After a while, Fortuna huffed and sat down, taking out a marble ball and staring at it.

Harry glanced towards her, sighing. Dang, he couldn't get his magic to respond the way he wanted to. Fortuna sighed and added, "Shape it, mold it. You have to be the one guiding it. You have to ask it to listen to you." He gave a nod, wondering how he could get his magic to listen and understand. Maybe... He could try talking to it? He scowled at the odd thought but decided to try anyways. After all, this was magic, and magic wasn't meant to make sense.

 _Um... Magic? Are you there?_ God he felt weird... Talking to his magic like that... It might not even be sentient. To his shock though, there was a... Nudge? in response. He blinked and decided to try again, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. _Uh... I guess I want your help, you know? To do wandless magic. Can you... Cooperate? You're always helping me on your own, but I want to know how to work with you and not just... Well... Force you to work for me with my wand and all... I guess I have to say... Thank you. For being there for me._

And then... And then it was like a dam burst. Harry's breath left him in a rush as the feeling of invincibility came over him again. Fortuna bolted up, sitting straight and staring at him as the feeling faded slightly, leaving him all warm and tingly. He barely registered Fortuna becoming a snake again as he reached out, his magic an extension of his body, and coaxed the pebble into the air. It floated upwards, slightly wobbly due to the lack of experience in control.

"Wow..." Harry breathed, smiling softly at the feeling of his magic swirling around him, inside him. It was amazing.

The pebble fell to the ground with a thunk as Harry's concentration was broken by the feeling of another source of power pressing against his own. His magic flinched back, cautious as it hesitantly pushed back against the new source of magic. The new magic was powerful, very much so, and darker, bolder than his own. He suppressed a shiver. It forcefully examined his own and, when Harry turned, he wasn't surprised to see Tom standing in the doorway of the shed, eyes wide with awe. Tom focused his gaze on Harry, a giddy sort of happiness on his features.

"You can do it, too..." He said breathlessly, an amused smirk on his face.


	4. Nightmares to Dreams

"You can do it, too… I knew it! I knew you were special!" Tom exclaimed, a maniacal grin marring his otherwise angelic features. There was a not-so-sane glint in his eye and his magic swirled uncontrollably, making Harry flinch back at the chaotic movements. He was starting to regret having this newfound ability to sense magic. His own magic moved closer to him, as if trying to protect, swirling agitatedly. "From the first time I saw you, I knew that you were special," Tom muttered, his gaze locked onto Harry unblinkingly. He took a step forwards and Harry stepped back. "I could feel it. Your power, it was strong. You were different. You were like _me._ " He took another step, causing Harry to do the same and consequently, back into the wall.

Tom – this Tom – was scary. Harry didn't get it. Why was Tom acting this way? He seemed so – was so – normal. Like a lost child. Now though, he was terrifying. He looked mad. He was mad. His eyes were wide with a giddy, hungry happiness, completely different from the happiness he had shown when he thought they learned something new about Harry's past from Fortuna. Harry wasn't used to this; Tom shouldn't be like this.

But…

But… Oh.

How could he have forgotten?

Tom was _Voldemort_.

Tom grew up to be megalomaniacal, murdering, crazy, immortal, Dark Lord Voldemort. He might not be Voldemort _now_ , but he had the potential to grow up to be him.

Harry had gotten used to the relatively nice, if a little emotionally stinted, Tom. He had forgotten that this Tom who could trust Harry enough to show when he was afraid was, will be, has the potential to be, Voldemort, his archenemy.

Tom continued walking until he was right in front of Harry and Harry suppressed the urge to flinch back or glare or react in a way he would react to Voldemort.

Now that they were so close, Harry could see the emotions that Tom wore so blatantly on his face, his cold mask long gone. There was that giddy happiness, that madness in him, but then Tom's expression softened into… relief?

A hand rose to Harry's head and petted his hair like he was a pet before skimming down the side of his face to cup his cheek. Then, it was gone and instead grabbed his hand in a vice like grip and raised it so that Tom could put his own cheek against Harry's hand.

"See?" Harry heard him breathe, obviously talking to himself now even if his gaze was still focused on Harry's. "I'm not a freak. I'm not a monster. They were wrong. All so wrong. I'm not alone. I have _you_. And I will always have you here to prove that _I'm not a freak_. Because Harry isn't a freak, so _I_ can't be one either." A giggle escaped the Dark Lord-to-be's mouth as he rested his head on Harry's shoulder and the giggle soon turned into full-blown laughter accompanied by… tears? He could feel the wetness seeping through his clothes.

Tom was crying.

Harry stood frozen throughout the episode, unsure of what to think. Who knew that the young Tom Riddle could be so insecure? Hesitantly, Harry reached up and patted the taller boy awkwardly, trying to get Tom to calm down.

To be honest, this lack of control scared him more than the craziness from before. He could understand that Tom might be insane, seeing that Voldemort most definitely was, but he had always thought of Tom Riddle as one to not feel strongly about anything, one that was confident, self-assured. It scared him that even this illusion, the last thing that really connected Tom to Voldemort, to his past in the future, was shattering before his very eyes. It made his life feel unreal and it made him unsure and even lost. Because, if Tom Riddle wasn't someone he could hold onto, a constant, then what was?

"I…" Harry cleared his throat when his voice faltered, "I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you." Tom pulled back slightly, having composed himself somewhat, and stared into his eyes as if searching for sincerity. "I swear it." He added honestly, not even thinking, but just wanting to reassure Tom, wanting _Tom_ back. He was vaguely aware of Fortuna jerking and looking at him with shock, seemingly distressed, but before he could even frown in confusion, a weird sensation spread through him…

_.:*Dreams*:._

Tom gasped and his eyes widened as he felt something tug at him at Harry's promise. It was almost as if their magic was merging with one another. Although, it didn't feel unnatural. Honestly, it was a feeling he would probably relate to the feeling of coming home, if he had ever felt that way before. There was something familiar with Harry's power but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It felt like his own, yet it was uniquely _Harry_.

He felt like Harry's power should be his. _Harry_ should be his.

Their combined power was swirling, mingling and then… Harry's calmed and his own calmed with it, merely touching. But he knew that something had changed and by the look on Harry's face, Harry could feel the change, too.

It was a while before anyone spoke and Harry was the one to speak first. He seemed to realize the distance, or rather the lack of distance, between the two and blushed, pulling away from Tom's grasp. "Um… We should… probably get back. It's getting dark outside…" Harry frowned slightly and Tom nodded, wondering how long they had been there for.

He watched as Harry walked past him, feeling an odd feeling swell in his chest when he looked at the younger boy. It wasn't as overwhelming as the emotions that had overcome him before – he almost blushed at the lack of control he had displayed – but it was foreign and weird.

He tilted his head to the side in a way not unlike a bird.

Maybe it was… gratitude?

His eyes narrowed slightly at the revelation, but he relaxed when he came to the decision that, yes, he could trust Harry. Harry was truly someone that he could feel grateful towards. Harry was someone, the only one, that deserved his gratitude.

"Tom? You coming?" Tom looked up and almost smiled at the concern on the other's face as he stood not far from the shed, looking back at him and waiting. He nodded once before walking after the young boy.

_.:*Dreams*:._

Fortuna sulked, disbelieving of what her charge had gotten into. Dang! Why did she have to choose Harry bloody Potter as her charge of all people!? He really was a trouble-magnet! She would have to give him a good talking to about the consequences of his actions now. She gave in to the urge to pout and stuck her lip out childishly, refusing to speak to Harry.

But wait! If she didn't speak to him, then how would she give him a scolding?

She sulked further at the prospect of having to end her silence treatment.

Harry was really bringing out her inner toddler and Fortuna knew that when she was a toddler, she had been the most vindictive, difficult, stubborn toddler you could ever find. And she liked it that way. But, enough about her as a toddler.

Now though, she was waiting for the opportune moment to have that talk with her mortal. And, well, damn Riddle for being so protective and possessive; there was barely a moment she could have with her human alone. Then again, the fault still fell to Harry because it was _his_ fault Riddle was acting that way.

 _§Stupid, stupid humans… Stupidly doing stupid things to make my stupid life harder!§_ She then frowned, feeling as if that sentence was wrong somehow. Her eyes widened. Hey! Her life wasn't stupid! She was who she was to make it awesome after all!

…

That totally didn't make sense. She was losing her aloof, awesome, I'm-literally-holier-than-thou-due-to-being-a-goddess composure.

 _§Arg! Stupid mouth… Stupid mortals. Mikado is soooo totally gonna chew me out for this. Shit! Paperwork!§_ Fortuna sulked some more when she realized what awaited her when she got home. Hopefully, she wouldn't get home in a loooooong time, since Mikado would be forced to deal with the paperwork relating to her job in order to keep everything in order, _if_ she was gone long enough. She almost laughed in glee.

However, a thought then struck her. Mikado was even more proficient at procrastination and slacking off then she was. He would only do the bare minimum! How he was motivated enough to separate what he had to do and what he could leave for her to do was still a mystery to her seeing that he wasn't even motivated enough to do the actual paperwork, which _technically_ cost less effort than the separation of the crap, the important crap, and the crap that was in dire need of getting rid of. Well, in her eyes it did anyways.

Fortuna then paused as another thought hit her. _Wait. That just sounded weird. Let's forget about all that,_ she thought, wrinkling her nose.

She sighed in despair and turned to see Harry looking at her, bemused, holding onto the book Riddle had given him when Riddle left to face another punishment doled out by the horrendously unfair caretakers. Then, she perked up when she realized that this was the perfect time to talk to her charge about the consequences of his actions.

First of all, she had to become human, so that both she and Harry could be comfortable and serious.

In a flash, her pseudo-Hermione form was sitting on Riddle's bed instead of her black mamba form.

"Harry," she began in a serious voice, "we need to talk." Harry's eyes went wide and Fortuna nearly laughed out loud at her wording, although she still held her goddess mask of calmness and seriousness outwardly. Her mind went back to the time Runa had dragged Mikado from his mid-afternoon nap and insisted that he take her to watch a cheesy romance movie with her for the sake of watching it. Fortuna had tagged along due to having nothing better to do. There was a part where the girl was about to break up with the guy and she had said the same thing in the same tone of voice as Fortuna had just done.

She mentally shook her head. _Now is not the time to be thinking about the misadventures of you and your fellow deities, Fortuna!_

The boy frowned slightly and set down the book, worry clouding his features. "What's wrong, Fortuna."

"Call me Katelyn or Kate in this form, kay?" Katelyn first asked and, receiving a nod from Harry, continued to talk, "You must have noticed the odd reaction of your magic after you made your promise, right?" Harry nodded again. "Well…" Katelyn took a deep breath before breaking the news to the boy. "It became a magically binding vow." Harry's expression became part worry part confusion. Katelyn sighed. "Meaning that you will be magically compelled to obey and there may be serious consequences if you do not. This has also formed a magical bond between you two, which, due to whatever dark magic surrounds your scar," Harry's hand flew to his scar, "May have turned into a soul bond. Meaning that it is impossible to reverse. Your very souls are bound to each other." Harry's eyes now widened in panic and shock. "This also means that I am, too, tied to you both and am obliged to do my best to help Tom Riddle in his ambitions as well. This also means that I can reveal myself to him…"

"Wait. Me and Tom, our souls are bound to each other!?" Harry questioned incredulously, "And I'll have to always be there for him, loyal to him, no matter what? He may be my friend now, but… that's too much… And you are now tied to him as well?"

Katelyn nodded, solemn.

"A-are you sure? Are you sure it's… it's irreversible? Are you sure it's a soul bond?"

"Not entirely…" Katelyn muttered softly, thoughtful, "But I don't know too much about magic. I was a… muggle before I became Fate and my current powers are limited. If you really want to know about it, then you'll have to ask some mortal incredibly good at this kind of stuff or ask Runa, another immortal, about it. However, Runa hates mortals, especially witches and wizards like you, so I doubt she'll be willing to help. If you were a vampire, maybe…" Katelyn then frowned slightly and mumbled, "No idea why she likes those bastards… They hate fire, the sun, the light and pretty flames! How could someone loathe fire? It's blasphemy!"

"I might… I might never be able to do it…" Katelyn blinked and looked around at her charge. "If he _does_ become megalomaniacal Voldemort, I won't be able to kill him… I… I'd be obliged to help him…" Harry's eyes were wide. "I've sworn my loyalty to him… Even if I do want to help him… how can I save everyone if I can't save him from himself? How do I correct my mistakes then? Killing him is already… looking like such a hard job… I… don't really want to kill him…"

"Don't worry 'bout it Harry," Katelyn consoled him. "Because you won't fail. You won't let Tom become Voldemort. You can do what you came here to do. You have to believe that you will succeed." She smiled at him and Harry took a deep breath, calming himself before smiling back. "But! This is a lesson to be learned. Think before you act!" Katelyn nodded to herself importantly before glaring at Harry. "Now I have to waste my energy on _both_ of you. Mind convincing Tom magic is real? Then I won't have to explain a bunch of random mumble-jumble to him and also convince him to believe it. I find that it's rather easy to believe things when you have 'it's magic' as a reason for its existence. Meanwhile, I am going to stall this meeting for as long as possible."

_.:*Dreams*:._

It was rather easy, convincing Tom that magic was real. All Harry had to do was throw a few tantrums and stubbornly insist on it and when Tom said it wasn't logical, Harry just replied that levitating the stone wasn't logical either and therefore could only be magical. Tom then conceded defeat in the face of child's logic that, admittedly, Katelyn had taught Harry how to use to his advantage.

However, the nightmares had come back. For the first time since coming here, Harry was having nightmares. He tossed and turned in his sleep, crying out every now and then and Tom, Tom couldn't sleep because of it. If Tom was honest, he was worried about Harry, but he had no idea of how to comfort him. He hadn't done any comforting, ever before, and no one had ever comforted him either.

Tom stared across the room towards Harry's bed and finally decided to get up. He walked over towards Harry's bed and paused, hesitating, at the edge.

 _§Calm down, little one… It's going to be fine…§_ Fortuna was hissing, curled up next to the younger boy. Tom frowned down at Harry and slowly, carefully, lifted a hand and placed it on Harry's shoulder. The younger boy immediately whimpered and snuggled closer to Tom's touch. _§When mistress was with us, she would hug Harry and sleep next to him every time he had a nightmare. Apparently, that turned the nightmare into a sweet dream. Not that I would know. Snakes don't dream much. Most humans think us too stupid to be capable of dreaming, but, I'll have you know that us magical snakes are much, much more intelligent than those non-magical ones!§_

Tom glanced at the snake before looking back at Harry. He did want to comfort him, but he felt uncomfortable with… touching. It was too intimate, too touchy for him.

He sat on the bed, aware of Fortuna looking at him intently, before leaning down awkwardly to give the smaller boy a loose hug. Harry sighed and snuggled into the embrace, occasionally fidgeting or struggling to get away weakly.

Eventually, seeing that Harry wasn't getting much better and that Tom was getting sleepy, Tom lay down beside Harry, yawning. He pulled the covers over himself and wrapped Harry in a loose embrace, vaguely registering Harry snuggling closer before he fell asleep.

Neither noticed the almost maniacal grin on Fortuna's face or the near silent giggles that were somehow produced from the pseudo-black mamba's mouth.

_.:*Dreams*:._

Warmth…

That was the first thing Harry registered when he woke up the next morning. He was feeling very content this morning because the nightmares hadn't woken him last night. He snuggled into the warmth next to him and curled his hands into the clothing of the warmth next to him. He sighed as he felt warm breath ghosting over his face a wrinkled his nose a little, placing his head on a somewhat hard, moving pillow.

Wait a second.

Harry's eyes snapped open and his cheeks turned red when he realized that there was someone in his bed with him. There were arms around him, his face was against a softly rising and falling chest, and there was someone breathing above his head.

Gulping, he slowly moved, looking up into the face of his… companion.

Tom Riddle.

Of course.

His cheeks turned even redder and he tried to wiggle out of Tom's hold without waking him up as he tried to get inappropriate thoughts – why was his mind in the gutter? – out of his head. That was when he heard a giggle and froze.

He looked around to see the weird sight of a giggling black mamba next to his head, rolling around with the force of the laughter.

 _§Er… Fortuna? Are you alright?§_ Harry asked, worried, as the snake started hiss-giggling and rolling around hysterically.

All of a sudden, Fortuna stopped and straightened up, turning into her human form. She then turned to him and beamed. "Kya!" she squealed, "You two are so cute! Kawaii!" She whipped out a camera and Harry froze again, bewildered, as she flung the covers off and snapped a few pictures. "I'm gonna go now that I took pics! Thanks for the images!" Then she abruptly disappeared.

Harry blinked as he tried to get his mind around what just happened. Sure, he was used to the grouchy, vulgar, 'I'll gut you if you wake me up' Fortuna. But this… This was just… weird.

Then he looked down and blushed furiously again.

Damn Fortuna. He knew she had done this because he could've sworn he went to bed fully-clothed and Tom wouldn't do such a thing.

Somehow, Fortuna had vanished his pyjamas.

_.:*Dreams*:._

Life at the orphanage settled into a routine after that and Fortuna had shared a few theories on why the nightmares returned and wouldn't go away without Tom. It could be emotional upheaval, the fact that he would feel unnerved without Tom due to the bond, the fact that Harry had finally gotten used to being here making old nightmares return and several other theories. Tom and he now slept in the same bed whenever one of them would get nightmares. It was awkward at first, at least for Harry, but he had eventually gotten used to it.

Every day would generally progress the same way. They would go to school, which Harry had been enrolled in after the summer holidays had ended, and when they got home, Harry and Tom would just play or read together.

On the weekends, they would practice magic in secluded places. Unfortunately, they had to pick a new place after they accidentally destroyed the shed. Harry had gotten curious and asked Fortuna if there were any spells that were actual phrases associated with magic in the muggle world. Fortuna had gotten a weird glint in her eyes and taught him _Open Sesame_ , which she said was used to open doors. So, of course, Harry went and told Tom to try it out and they ended up turning not only the door of the shed into a pile of firewood – which was actually what the spell was meant to do, Fortuna later told him – but the entire shed into a pile of firewood.

Fortuna had started doing magic as well, having gotten her strength back, although she insisted it wasn't called magic, but instead an energy called Cealisterrum. She also said something about it being recently named as they didn't really need a name for it until recently. However, Fortuna had adamantly refused to tell him _why_ exactly they needed a name. Instead, she just burst into giggles every time he asked.

Tom rarely got angry with the other children and staff again so unnatural things rarely happened. There was only this one time where Harry had 'adopted' a garden snake and two children, Amy and Dennis, had accepted a dare to kill it. Harry didn't know what Tom had done, but he did something to the two on a trip to the seaside and, from then on, all of the children were too frightened to even look at them. Harry had begged Tom not to hurt anyone anymore and Tom had, surprisingly, agreed and went with it.

When Fortuna and he were alone, she would never miss the chance to tease him about sleeping in the same bed as Tom. She often made dirty jokes or explicit sexual innuendoes that had Harry blushing and unable to look either Tom or Fortuna in the eye. She also never missed the chance to flash the pictures she had taken to him and make him blush. He had discovered a side to Fortuna that he really wished had never existed. She was a bloody fangirl and not just any fangirl, but a fangirl that adored homosexual male relationships.

Harry never failed to blush at even the slightest mention of the position that he and Tom were in, which was incredibly cute according to Fortuna, inside the picture Fortuna took. Harry also felt nauseous when Fortuna squealed over it because he had been incredibly disturbed by the fact that they, he and Tom, barely looked eight in the picture. Three years later, that hadn't changed, but something else was going to.

Three years later, they were visited by one Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

_.:*Dreams*:._

"Tom?" Both of the boys in the room looked up from their books, "Harry? You've got a visitor. This is Mr. Dumberton – sorry, Dunderbore. He's come to tell you – well, I'll let him do it."

Harry's eyes widened slightly as the familiar figure of Dumbledore walked inside, Mrs. Cole shutting the door behind him. Just as he was about to do something stupid like gasp or show recognition, his body suddenly relaxed and his face became emotionless and, suddenly, he was no longer in control of his body. He could feel Fortuna's form becoming limp under his clothes and flopping onto his lap, however, his body moved without him willing it to, standing up and moving closer to Tom. He sat on the floor next to Tom's legs as if hiding and his hands subtly put Fortuna's body under the bed.

Inside his mind though, Harry was freaking out. He had just lost control of his body! And Fortuna was acting like she was dead!

 _Calm down, damn it!_ Fortuna's voice suddenly resounded in his head.

 _Fortuna?_ Harry thought back, bewildered.

_Yes. I'm in control of your body right now. Just sit back and let me handle this! You'd fuck it up otherwise and the only thing I want to see you fucking up is Tom._

Harry mentally spluttered and blushed, embarrassment and shock welling up in him. _Don't say things like that, Fortuna! Just give it a rest!_

 _Still thinking of me as the pure and holy goddess, human? Too bad, this is what I'm like, so deal with it._ He could feel Fortuna grinning somewhere in his head. _By the way, mortal, have I ever mentioned how shity your_ Occulemcy _skills were? I'm putting some fortifications in here._

"How do you do, Tom, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, smiling and twinkling as he held out a hand to Tom.

The boy hesitated, and then took it, and they shook hands. Dumbledore then held out a hand to Harry and Harry smiled lightly as he shook hands with the Professor. Dumbledore then drew up the hard wooden chair beside then and sat down.

"I am Professor Dumbledore."

Tom gave a small jolt. "'Professor'? Is that like a 'Doctor'? What are you here for? Did _she_ get you in to have a look at me?" He pointed at the door Mrs. Cole had just left through.

"No, no," Dumbledore said, smiling.

"I think he means 'Professor' as in 'teacher', Tom," Harry interrupted, smiling up at Tom. Tom frowned down at Harry and gave Dumbledore a suspicious look.

Suddenly Harry made an 'o' with his mouth and his eyes lit up in realization. "Oh! You're here to give us our Hogwarts letter, right?" Harry directed the question at Dumbledore who smiled and nodded.

"Ah yes. You are both wizards after all. I was wondering about you, Mr. Selwyn. Your surname is a pureblood wizarding name, after all." Dumbledore took out two envelopes that Harry took from him enthusiastically.

Harry grinned at him, well aware of the glare that Tom was using to burn a hole in the back of his head. Harry was mentally fidgeting, but Fortuna easily ignored it. "Thanks!"

"Wait. Hogwarts, wizards? What are you talking about?"

"Tom, I've already told you about magic and broomsticks and dragons thousands of times and you always brush me off! That's what we're talking about," Harry pouted at the irritated boy.

"Yes. Hogwarts is one of the schools in Europe that provides a magical education," Dumbledore began explaining and Harry bounced in his seat gleefully, "There, young witches and wizards learn all about the different kinds of magic in the world. You, my boys are also wizards and a part of our magical community. We are separate from muggles, or non-magical people, and live in our own hidden world. Should you agree to come, you-"

"Wait. You're a wizard, too?" Tom suddenly asked and Dumbledore nodded. "Then show us some magic."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "If, I assume, you are accepting your place at Hogwarts…"

"Yes, of course."

"Then you shall address me as sir or Professor."

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry cut in, feeling some odd emotion swell when he, or rather Fortuna, said the title. Harry gave the biggest pair of puppy eyes he could muster. "Please can you show us some magic, sir? Pretty please?"

Dumbledore chuckled slightly, smiling at Harry. "Of course." He took out his wand and gave it a flick, sending a few books rising into the air. Both boys watched with awe. He gave another flick and the books returned to their original position. "A list of supplies you need are within the envelopes. Tom," Dumbledore addressed the other boy who quickly schooled his face into a blank mask. "You two are both orphans so, while Harry has a vault in Gringotts, the school will provide you with money." He took out a bag and Tom quickly snatched it giving a nod in thanks before he began examining the money. "I can take you both to Diagon Alley for your school supplies and show you around so there's no need to worry if you get lost."

"Wait. You're coming with us?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, I-"

"We don't want your help."

"Yeah, me and Tom go around London on our own all the time. We can take care of ourselves!" Harry added.

"Are you sure?"

"Quite," Tom said and Harry nodded along.

"Alright then…" Dumbledore agreed after a moment's hesitation. He then explained how to get to Diagon alley. "The bartender should be able to help you. His name is also Tom so it shouldn't be hard to remember." Tom gave a grimace that went unnoticed by the professor. "On the first of September, you should both board the Hogwarts Express to get to Hogwarts. It's at King's Cross station, Platform 9 ¾. There is a barrier that separates the muggle, non-magical, side of the station from the magical one. Your tickets are also included inside the envelope. Do you have any other questions? No? Then I guess I should be going then." He stood up. "I hope to see you at Hogwarts then." And with that, he left.

Both of the two boys stood motionless as the footsteps faded out of earshot.

"Harry." Harry turned to face Tom, a wide grin across his features. A minute passed in silence and the grin faded from Harry's face. In his head, Harry had to once again applaud Fortuna on her acting skills. "Your memories are back."

Harry's smile returned with some hesitance and a little less radiance as if he was unable to understand why Tom wasn't expressing his happiness. "Yup!"

"How long? Since when did they start coming back? How much can you remember?"

"Well… They started returning a little while ago… But only a few memories… Of… of Diagon Alley and books about Hogwarts and… and… some other magical stuff…" Harry answered, eyes wide.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tom actually sounded hurt even though his face was only showing annoyance and coldness. Harry mentally winced.

"Well… You never seemed to believe the stuff I said about magic so… so I was afraid that you would scoff at me and not believe me… especially if I said that I was sure they were memories..." Harry's voice was small as he gave Tom a kicked-puppy look.

Tom's cold demeanour crumbled and he gave a smile. "Okay then. I believe you, Harry." Suddenly, a giddy, mad sort of glint entered his eyes. "Harry… Hogwarts, was it? We're finally going to be at a place where we belong… Tell me more about our world, Harry. I want to know."

Harry found himself back in control of his body suddenly and could only comply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that are wondering, Open Sesame is a real spell in the HP verse that tears down doors and turns them into firewood. It was the first version of Alohamora.


	5. It's a Wonderful World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone get the reference in the title of the chapter? Virtual cookie if you do!

It was a nice day to be going to Diagonal Alley, Harry thought as he watched the world go by from his seat on the bus. He was glad they weren't taking the Knight Bus, but a normal, muggle bus.

It would take a while to get from the orphanage to Charing Cross Road on the bus, as the orphanage was situated in a rather out of the way street in London. Tom was dozing off on the seat next to him, a bewildered frown on his sleeping face. Harry stifled his giggles at the sight, but Fortuna wasn't so nice. She outright laughed, in that snaky, hissy way of hers and called him "bloody fucking adorable".

Although, she had said that right into his head and scared the hell out of him. Apparently, they had developed some sort of mental connection after that time Fortuna had taken control of him and they could now talk safely within the recesses of his mind. Currently, they were talking about their plan of action. Well, at least they had been doing that until Fortuna said, _Did you know that 'Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo, buffalo Buffalo buffalo' is a grammatically correct sentence?_

Harry blinked blankly, staring out of the window as he couldn't see Fortuna from her place under his clothes. _What?_

Fortuna shifted a little, curling more onto his arm. _It's a grammatically correct sentence. 'Buffalo' as in the... state? ... In the US. Then, 'buffalo' as in the animal and 'buffalo' as in 'to bully'._

Harry blinked again, completely confused. _Um... Okay..._

_My English teacher from when I was still a mortal taught me that valuable lesson._

_Right..._ Suddenly, Harry had a thought _. When you were still mortal? So, you weren't always a goddess?_

Fortuna gave a mental snort. _Why else would I seem so human? Obviously, I have been human before. Otherwise I would not act the way I do, mortal._

 _Really? So how did you, you know, become a goddess?_ Harry asked, curious.

 _My predecessor, the bastard, caused my execution via drunk driving. And, tada, I'm Fate._ There was a note of sarcasm in her voice as well as more than a little annoyance. _I was sixteen at the time._

 _Oh..._ Harry replied, feeling awkward, _I'm sorry..._

Fortuna made a noncommittal sound in dismissal. _It's fine. Happened a long time ago. Doesn't matter anymore._

Harry frowned slightly. He wanted to argue that Fortuna had a whole future in front of her. To have her life taken deliberately like that was a crime in his eyes. It didn't seem that Fortuna really welcomed the fact that she was Fate. _Well, what were we talking about before you went on a tangent?_ He asked after a while of silence.

_Oh ya... As I was saying, I think that the fact that Tom stood out from the other Slytherins played a big part in his insanity._

_How so?_

_Well, Riddle is not a pureblood name and Tom, being an orphan, is rather poor. He must not have felt very welcome in the House of Snakes. The fact that he already feels very left out in the muggle orphanage gave him some sort of superiority complex, I'm guessing, as a mental defense against what he had to endure. If he were to feel further isolated in Slytherin, it would probably make him colder and less emotional than he already is, turning him into a psychopath or something. So, if he were to feel more welcome, he might be more stable,_ Fortuna explained, giving the equivalent of a mental shrug.

_Wow. I never thought of that. Were you a psychologist or something when you were alive?_

Fortuna gave a mental scoff _. No. I was sixteen at the time of death, remember?_ Harry suppressed a blush of embarrassment. _Plus, that confusing mind crap isn't for me._

_Hey, can I ask you another question?_

_You just did, but, sure, fire away._

_Where are you from? I don't recognize your accent._

_A galaxy far, far away..._

_... Are you serious?_

_No, I thought that was your godfather. My name is Katelyn, remember?_

Ignoring the dull ache of pain that came with the mention of Sirius, Harry gave a mental eye roll. _Fortuna._

 _Fine, fine. I was born in Hong Kong to a native woman and an American guy, but I spent most of my life in Japan, America and Italy. I only lived in Britain for around three months. The reason you wouldn't recognize my accent is because I never really lose any of my accents. When I acquire one, it tends to clash with whatever accent I have before. Of course, I can consciously make an effort to separate them, but it's too much work. I could speak like a Brit if I wanted to; I'm rather good at mimicking people._ There was a vague sense of pride in her mental voice. _Anyways, we're nearly there. Let me take over._

_Why?_

_Just trust me._

Just as Fortuna finished speaking, the bus came to a stop and Tom blinked awake with a small yawn.

"Come on, Harry," he said, getting up.

Harry blinked. _Sleeping spell?_

 _Bingo!_ He heard before the weird feeling of no longer being in control washed over him. However, this time, Fortuna's serpentine body did not go limp.

Harry followed Tom off the bus with a smile on his face. He bounced forwards, looking around. "Aha!" He exclaimed, pointing towards a dingy old bar that looked like it was ready to fall apart. The Leaky Cauldron was written overhead. "There it is!"

"That's it?" He heard Tom mumble. "I can certainly understand why it's called Leaky."

The two boys went inside, looking around.

 _Wow. It hasn't changed much..._ Harry thought.

 _What do you expect? The Wizarding World was always rather stagnant,_ Came Fortuna's reply.

"Excuse me," Tom said after they had walked up to the counter. Harry had seen him take a deep breath and put on a charming smile. The barkeep looked up at him and smiled toothily.

_Whao! He looks so... Young..._

_Well, duh! You're, what, sixty years in the past?_ He could _feel_ Fortuna rolling her eyes at him and was glad he wasn't in his own body. If he was, he would be blushing.

"Hello there, lad. What can I help you with?" Tom, as in the barkeep, asked.

"Yes. Can you help us into Diagon Alley, please sir?" Tom, as in the potential dark lord, asked back. Harry was surprised at how charming he was acting. Then again, The Tom Riddle he talked to in his second year had been just as charming.

"Of course." The young barkeeps misled and led them out the back before tapping the bricks with a wand. "There you go." He then left as the entrance opened, revealing Diagon Alley. Harry heard a sharp intake of breath from Tom as the taller boy took in all Diagon Alley had to offer with slightly wide eyes. Tom hid his awe well, but Harry could see that he was struggling to contain it.

"Come on, Tom! Let's go!" Harry encouraged, stepping into the bustling alley. "We should go to the bank first. I need to get my money. It's called Gringotts." He took a hold of Tom's hand and pulled the other along as he walked.

In his mind, Harry was spluttering, flustered at the innocent action.

 _Why so flustered, Harry?_ Fortuna asked. Harry could swear that she was grinning and waggling her eyebrows suggestively at him.

_Sh-shut it!_

_I'm not saying anything. I'm thinking it._

_Gah! Same difference!_

"What are _those_ things?" Harry heard Tom ask quietly, looking towards the goblins with detached fascination.

"Goblins," Harry whispered back, "They guard our money." The goblin sneered at them. "Although they don't like us very much."

"Then why do they guard our money?"

"Beats me."

Harry walked up to the teller and cleared his throat, gaining the goblin's attention. "Hadrian Selwyn. I'm here to withdraw money from the Selwyn account." There was a brief flash of surprise before the goblin covered it up with a sneer.

"Key?"

"Don't have it."

The goblin raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Any way of identification then?"

"Magical signature and blood?"

The goblin scrutinized him for a moment longer before turning slightly. He then shouted something in Gobbledygook before turning back to the two wizards. "Flintclaw here will lead you to the _Inheritance and Identification Tests_ room."

Harry nodded and followed the goblin, Flintclaw, who had sneered before walking off with nary a word. He cloud feel Tom's irritation and anger at the goblins from his angrily cackling magic. Harry quickly grasped the other's hand to calm him. "They're always like this, just ignore it."

Tom's magic calmed slightly and he gave a small nod.

It didn't take long to reach the room. Flintclaw pushed open a set of doors with a sign saying _Bonejaw, Inhetritance and Indentification Tests_. The office that was revealed to the two young wizards was rather spacious. A large mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room, piled with paperwork, a goblin sitting there and scratching away at the paper with a quill. Two hard, wooden chairs were placed in front of the desk. There were many shelves, cases and cupboards against the walls, storing more scrolls and weird objects.

Flintclaw said something in Gobbledygook to the goblin at the desk. A grunt and a glance upwards was his reply. Flintclaw sneered at them one last time before leaving. Harry settled himself into the chair in front of the desk and motioned for Tom to join him, which he did, plopping down gracefully in the other chair. The goblin ignored them for a while more while Tom got bored and began looking around with a disinterested face. There wasn't many magical things happening in the room after all. The goblin them looked at them, putting down his quil and paper.

Suddenly, Fortuna, as in the snake, popped its head out of Harry's collar and stared at the goblin for A moment before disappearing under his clothes once more. Harry could have sworn a flash of apprehension and fear flashed across before his face blanked into a disdainful and aloof expression. Harry assumed that this was Bonejaw.

"So..." Bonejaw began, "You wish to conduct an inheritance test, Mr...?"

"Selwyn. Hadrian Keaton Selwyn."

 _Thats my middle name?_ Harry asked.

_What did you think it would be?_

_Something closer to James, maybe._

_Well, too bad. Deal with it._

"Hmm...?" The goblin raised an eyebrow slightly. "Well, Mr. Selwyn..." The goblin waved a hand and a scroll and a quill flew onto the desk, "Please write your full name on this piece of paper."

Harry picked up the quill, recognizing it as a blood quill. He wrote his current full name on the piece of paper in his now no longer chicken-scratch-like writing. It was elegant, but not to the point of perfection, the lines looping. The same name appeared on the back of his hand, but healed over quickly. More lines began spreading across the page after Harry had set the quill down. Tom leaned over to look, interested.

_Hadrian Keaton Selwyn (Pure Blood)_

_Heir of Selwyn_

_Birthdate: 1929 31st July_

_Mother: Cerasia Saphira Selwyn nee Xavier (Deceased)_

_Father: Keaton Aloe Selwyn (Deceased)_

_Possible Claims:_

_Selwyn Family Vault # 187 (Upon Adulthood)_

_Personal Vault of Keaton Aloe Selwyn # 879 (To Be Merged With 187)_

_Personal Vault of Cerasia Saphira Selwyn #890 (To Be Merged With 187)_

_Trust Vault of Hadrian Selwyn # 987 (Claimable)_

_Selwyn Manor, Unplottable, Great Britain (Upon Adulthood)_

_Sascero House, Wiltshire (Unusable)_

_Anguis House, Unplottable, Whales (Claimable)_

_My parents..._ Harry muttered mentally, a bit unbalanced at having that info thrown at him.

"Hmm... Everything seems to be in order..." Bonejaw muttered. He waved his hand again and summoned a key, inspecting it before handing it over to Harry. "The key to Vault # 987."

"Thank you," Harry said, accepting the key. "Can you conduct an inheritance test for my friend?" He gestured to Tom, who sat a little straighter, eyes gleaming with interest.

Bonejaw gave Tom an unreadable look. "Of course we can, Mr. Selwyn." He then summoned another scroll of parchment and gestured to the quill. "Write down your full name, please."

Tom hesitated for a moment before picking up the quill and writing. The same thing happened as before, and Tom hissed in surprise at the the sting in his hand.

_Tom Marvolo Riddle (Half Blood)_

_Heir of Gaunt_

_Birthdate: 1928 31st December_

_Mother: Merope Amaranth Riddle nee Gaunt (Deceased)_

_Father: Thomas Jacob Riddle Sr._

_Possible Claims:_

_Slytherin Heirship/Lordship (Proven Worthy by Blood)_

_Slytherin Estate (Proven Worthy by Blood)_

_Parseltongue Library Vault # 166 (Claimable)_

Harry was rather shocked at what Fortuna had made him do. However, he also felt that this might be a good thing. He knew that Tom had always wanted to know about his parents. A sharp inhale came from Tom as he looked over the piece of parchment with wonder.

Fortuna was having Harry put on a bigger facade of wonder though and even Bonejaw showed surprise.

"Wow..." Harry breathed and Tom looked at him. "You're the heir of Slytherin! Well, you have the potential to be, anyways... That's so cool! There hasn't been an heir in a century. All of the claimed descendants were rejected when taking an Inheritance test."

"Slytherin?"

"Yeah, Salazar Slytherin, one of the greatest wizards to ever live!"

Tom looked thoughtful while Harry turned to Bonejaw with excitement. "How can Tom claim the Heirship?"

Bonejaw stared at the two for a moment, his expression becoming blank again. "You'll have to come back when you're fifteen. On another note, here is the key to Vault 166." The goblin then summoned another key and handed it to Tom, who took it, inspecting it curiously. "Is there anything else?"

"Nah. Can you get someone to take us to our vaults now?" Harry asked.

Not giving a reply, the goblin shouted something in Gobbledygook and the doors opened. Another goblin, it was Flintclaw, came in and motioned for the two eleven year olds to follow. Taking a final glance at Bonejaw, who had gone back to his paperwork, the two boys followed their guide through the tunnels.

After the cart ride, which had Tom snarling at the cart, they arrived at Vault 987. The vault was filled to the brim with gold. Harry stared slightly in awe before turning to Flintclaw. "Is there any way to use the gold I have without having to come back every time I need some?"

Flintclaw nodded before gesturing to a few pouches that hung on the wall. "Those pouches will enable you to make withdraws by just telling the pouch how much money you need."

Harry took two down from the hooks and gave one to Tom, who blinked in confusion. "What's mine yours, right?" Harry replied in response to the confused gaze.

Tom's eyes widened. "... Thank you."

"You're welcome," Harry chirped, smiling.

Then, they returned to the cart and proceeded to Vault 166.

This vault was different from the previous one. After the goblin had inserted the key, a snake head had come out from the door. It was golden and it's eyes were rubies. They burned with a light that made the snake head seem alive. Flintclaw gestured towards the door, backing away.

Tom frowned slightly in confusion before stepping towards the door. After a moment of hesitation, he hissed, _§_ _Open.§_

There was a click and then the snake head retreated with a grinding sound before the doors opened to reveal thousands upon thousands of books. Books sitting on bookcases, books on tables, books piled waist high on the floor. Books everywhere, filling up the room that was almost twice as big as Harry's Trust Vault.

Tom looked like he was in heaven.

Harry was horrified.

Had he ever mentioned how Tom forced him to read just about every non fiction they could get their hands on and quizzed him on them to make sure he finished them? No? Well, Tom did and with this whole new library, in a whole new world, Harry was sure he was doomed.

Harry could feel his eye twitching and knew that Fortuna was just as intimidated by these books as he was.

Tom walked into the library and browsed the shelves, occasionally taking a book and flicking through the pages with a frown on his face. Harry sighed and followed, scanning the shelves for something interesting. Then, his face broke into a smile.

"Tom! These books are all written in Parselscript! These are really, really rare books, you know?" He called out.

Parselscript? Harry wondered.

It seemed that Tom was thinking along the same lines. "Parselscript?"

"Parseltongue's written language. There are only around twenty books written in Parselscript that are currently know to exist by wizards and witches. I never knew there were so many!"

Toms eyes widened and he smirked slightly. "And it all belongs to me..." He muttered. Harry felt a glimmer of unease go through him at the glint in Tom's eyes.

Shrinking and pocketing a bunch of books that looked interesting with a wave of his hand, Tom motioned for Harry to leave with him. They had shopping to do.

_.:*Wonder*:._

Two hours later, Harry and Tom were back on the muggle bus with shrunken trunks in their pockets. Fortuna had insisted on taking control for the entire shopping spree despite her tiredness and had gotten the both of them top quality things. They had plenty of expensive robes, picked out by Fortuna of course, and shoes and trousers and shirts. Their dress robes were of the most fashionable and their school robes were made from expensive silk. They had quils of all sorts from Pegasus feathers to Mexican Amphithere dragon feathers which cost them almost fifteen galleons for each one, twice as expensive as their wands. Harry even had one made from the feathery parts of a Chinese Long's tail. He had payed twenty galleons for that one after being assured that the dragon was not harmed getting the feathers. Chinese Longs were notoriously hard to find and they were very incredible vain, too, after all. They also got a whole bunch of books and lots of potions stuff at Tom's insistence, much to both Fortuna and Harry's displeasure. Luckily, their trunks were large enough to hold all their stuff. They had gotten the trunks with four compartments, a library, a potions lab and two for 'random shit' as Fortuna had said.

Harry wondered why he had never noticed anything like this stuff in the past.

On another note, he and Tom had brother wands again. Fortuna had assured him that this wouldn't have a bad effect on the timeline or anything as they were in an alternate dimension and the time they came from would adjust itself to fit what happened this time. Even though Time wanted to become as close as possible to its previous state, Harry's and Fortuna's presence had already made too many changes. She then went on to explain a bunch of stuff Harry didn't understand at all. In the end though, the two boys ended up with the same ones they did last time, Tom unknowingly.

September first was fast approaching and Harry couldnt wait to get to Hogwarts.


	6. Belonging

Harry and Tom stared at the man wearing purple in front of them. Stared, because what the hell was he doing here?

"Hello," Dumbledore greeted, smiling and twinkling.

Tom, the first to snap out of it, pushed Harry behind him slightly, protectively. Dumbledore twinkled brighter. The two boys and snake were confused. What was Dumbledore doing here?

"Sir, not to be rude, but what are you doing here?" Tom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm here to escort you. It would be terribly irresponsible of me if I just let you two go all the way to Kings Cross Station alone."

"But you let us go to Diagon Alley alone, Sir," Tom persisted, frowning slightly.

"Hmm..." Dumbledore looked thoughtful before smiling again, eyes becoming curves, "Or did I?" Harry inwardly noted that the Dumbledore now was perhaps just a tad bit creepier than the Dumbledore from his time. Tom twitched. "You never know..." The older man added, innocent cheer in his words.

Thinking that Tom looked like he was about to kill someone, Harry spoke up. "Well then, Professor, shouldn't we be going?"

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore agreed, "Have you packed your trunks?" In response, Tom just gestured to the two heavy trunks that Harry and he were carrying. Although, in reality, they weren't heavy because they had feather-light charms on them. "Good, off we go then."

Harry and Tom followed Dumbledore outside. The man led them to a dark corner before turning to them and taking out a sock. "This," he shook the sock a bit, "Is a portkey. Touch the sock and it'll transport us to our destination."

Harry hesitantly reached to touch the sock while Tom grimaced and shot the fabric a skeptical glare before pressing one finger to it.

"Hogwarts Express."

And, suddenly, there was that pulling sensation in Harry's navel, they were spinning and spinning, and, with a thud, they landed. Harry, being the ungraceful person that he was, fell onto his ass. Tom stumbled slightly, smirking down at Harry. Harry glared in response before accepting Dumbledore's hand when it was offered, smiling gratefully at the older man. Tom's smirk fell and an icy expression replaced it; Harry frowned slightly at him, confused at the sudden change in expression.

They had disappeared from the dark corner to land in a darker alley. Dumbledore beckoned them along, smiling at the wary glance Tom gave to the shadows.

They hadn't walked very far before they were in King's Cross Station and Dumbledore left them after showing them to the barrier. Tom was, again, skeptical about actually going through the wall but Harry took his hand and pulled him through.

The bright red steam engine was as magnificent as ever, the words 'Hogwarts Express' emblazoned on the side.

Tom and Harry slowly made their way to the train, taking everything in. No one payed any attention to them, too caught up in their teary farewells and families to care about the two orphans.

Harry felt a pang of sadness at this. Before, he had the Weasleys as his family, people who took care of him and loved him, giving him the teary farewells that everyone needed. Tom, however, didn't have anyone. It was no wonder he grew up not believing in love.

But now, Tom had Harry and Harry was determined to show Tom what it was like to not be alone. He smiled as they boarded the Hogwarts Express, following Tom as they went to find a compartment for themselves.

_.:*Belong*:._

Harry and Tom were sharing their compartment with a bunch of other children.

At first, they were alone and, in Harry's case, almost falling asleep with boredom. Fortuna had fell asleep and Tom was reading a book. Actually, Harry was reading a book, too, but it was a boring book that never should've been published. Ever.

I mean, come on, who would want to read _A Thousand and One Ways to Use a Cauldron_? Okay, maybe some people might find the book interesting, but it was so bland and monotonous that Harry would prefer to write a six foot essay for Snape than continue reading. So, he stopped and stared out of the window.

That was when _they_ came in.

"Hello!" The door opened and Harry look up abruptly. Tom looked up as well, raising an eyebrow at the person who had shattered the quiet.

Actually, it was three people. Two boys and a girl all with honey blonde hair and pale blue eyes. They were all around the same height and age and looked alarmingly alike. In fact, the boys were completely identical. Harry wondered if they were triplets.

"May we come in?" The only girl of the group asked. "Most, if not all of the other compartments are full or have older students that don't really welcome us to intrude on them." Somehow, the girl made Harry think of Draco and Fortuna in her Goddessly form at the same time.

"Yeah, some real-"

"-mean jerks out there."

Harry blinked as the two boys gave identical grins and talked like Fred and George did. He felt a pang of longing at that. But brushed it away.

"All high and mighty-"

"-and so terribly unappreciative of our-"

"-complete and utter greatness!"

The girl rolled her eyes.

Harry took a look at Tom and saw the annoyed expression on his face. Before Tom could refuse, Harry beat him to it, taking an immediate liking to the group.

"Sure, come in," he chirped, moving his legs off the seat to give the group space.

"Thank you," the girl said, taking a seat next to Harry and smiling.

"Great!" One of the two boys gave a thumbs up before both turned to look down the hallway.

"Hey, Lyall!"

"Alex, Ida!"

"We got-"

"-a compartment!"

Harry blinked. There's more of them?

"Great!" A voice came from down the hall And soon, there were eight people in the compartment. Luckily, they all seemed to be first year or so and were able to fit without much difficulty.

The three that the twins had called out to was a group consisting of two girls and a boy. One of the two girls was short, petite, with dark green eyes and dark brown hair. The other had pale green eyes, long platinum blonde hair and a striking resemblance to Luna, down to the dreamy air she was emitting.

The boy though... He looked very, very familiar. He had sandy blonde hair and warm brown eyes.

The group settled themselves into the compartment.

"Allow us to-"

"-introduce our little group!" The twin boys exclaimed.

"We," one boy began while the other made a gesture to encompass the two twins and the girl that resembled them a lot. "Are the Ashcroft triplets, Midas, Cassius and Naradia."

Ah, so they were triplets. Harry felt more comfortable just thinking of the two boys as twins though since Naradia had such a different personality from the other two.

"Pleasure to meet you." The twins stood simultaneously and bowed before continuing with the introductions.

"This is Alexandria Winterhall-"

The really small girl smiled and gave a shy hello.

"-Ida Howell-"

"Nice to meet you," the dreamy girl murmured.

"-and Lyall Lupin."

"Hey," the final boy grinned and stuck his hand out for Harry to shake.

Harry almost went into shock, but luckily snapped out of his stupor and shook the other's hand.

Lupin? No wonder he was so familiar! It must be Remus' dad!

Another pang of longing went through Harry as he gazed into the warm familiar eyes.

"Are you alright?"

It wasn't until Harry heard the concerned voice that he realized he had been staring. He blushed and quickly retracted his hand, cheeks darkening further when the twins snickered.

"Sorry-I-I'm fine."

"So what about you?" Midas, Harry thought it was Midas, at least, asked.

"Oh, I'm Harry, Hadrian Selwyn and this is Tom, Tom Riddle."

"Wait a second," Cassius said, frowning.

"Hadrian Selwyn? As in the missing Selwyn heir?" Midas chipped in.

"So where've you been?" Alex asked curiously. "The purebloods are all wondering about the main branch of your family. You've been away from public eye for, what, twelve years?"

"I-I don't know," Harry stuttered, confused.

"How could you not know?" Alex frowned a little.

"I... Was in an orphanage for three years, but I don't have the memories of what happened before that."

"You're amnesiac?" Midas asked.

"Y-yeah..." Harry was starting to get uncomfortable from the staring and the attention.

"Anyways, what house do you think you'd be in?" Lyall interrupted, talking to Ida.

"I think I'd like to fly in the sky," Ida replied, sounding more like Luna with every passing moment, "Black feathers were always very pretty."

"Gryffindor-"

"-for the win!" The twins chimed.

"Expected. Two dunderheads such as you could only belong there," Naradia teased, a smirk curling her lips.

"Hey, do not-"

"-insult us in such a way!"

"I'm so very-"

"-heartbroken, dear sister!"

"How could you-"

"-hurt us so?"

Naradia hummed, ignoring her brothers. "I think I'd be a Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Either goes for me."

"Hufflepuff sounds like a nice place," Alex murmured, "What about you, Lyall?"

"I don't know," Lyall muttered, thoughtful, "I suppose Gryffindor..."

Naradia raised an eyebrow, "I always thought you were the bookish type."

Lyall grinned. "Not all Gryffindors are dunderheads. I like to think of myself as the proud, chivalrous and awesome bookworm."

"Psh, you are-"

"-such a weirdo."

Lyall just rolled his eyes before aiming a warm smile at Harry. "What about you, Harry... May I call you Harry?"

Harry, who had been somewhat awed at the conversation since they seemed to get along despite the house they admired and their differing personalities, blinked when he realized he had been asked a question. "Oh, I'm not sure. I'd like to be in the same house as Tom. Otherwise, probably Gryffindor I guess."

"Oh really?" Naradia raised an eyebrow.

"What about-"

"-you, Tom?" The twins asked, turning everyone's attention to the boy reading quietly in the corner.

Said boy slowly raised his gaze from the pages, his face a perfectly blank mask. "Slytherin." Then he returned to his book.

Harry frowned a little, worried about Tom, but was then pulled into a game of exploding snap.

__.:*Belong*:._ _

Tom didn't like it.

He had thought that, with this coming into a new world, he would finally have a place to belong. He would finally be at peace with the world. It would just be him, Harry and the world that was theirs.

The only problem was that he never realized that Harry made friends so easily.

In the orphanage, it felt as if it were just the two of them. The children feared them and the adults just weren't a part of it. He and only he held Harry's attention.

Tom didn't like how friendly that Dumbledore was with Harry.

He didn't like the way Harry had reacted so enthusiastically when the man came to deliver their Hogwarts letters, even though that may have just been excitement about attending Hogwarts. He didn't like the familiarity that was present, however faint, between the two or the joy. He didn't like the fact that Harry had smiled at Dumbledore when the old man had helped him up and glared at Tom in comparison - here, he disregarded the fact that he had smirked at Harry's misfortune and didn't do a thing to help.

Tom didn't like how familiar these complete strangers were getting with Harry.

He didn't like how they oh so rudely barged in. He didn't like how they stole Harry's attention away and drew him into a conversation with them. He hated how Harry had stared at that Lupin boy with such warmth and awe in his eyes, warmth and awe that should only be directed at Tom. He didn't like how Harry was ignoring him for them. He absolutely loathed the fact that Harry was apparently a hot topic for gossip though. That meant that people would _stare_ , they would _talk_ and take Harry's attention from him, and Harry, being the selfless and loving person he was, would talk back and pay _them_ attention. Attention that belonged to Tom.

Harry was his and his alone.

Not those idiotic twins', or any curious crowd's, and most certainly not Lupin's.

He would have to make sure to find some way to make sure that Harry didn't stray from his side. He would keep Harry with him. Harry was too easily led astray by these new temptations.

Maybe... Harry might even leave him.

No. Tom. Wouldn't allow that. And if Harry thought he could just part ways with Tom, Tom would just have to correct his thoughts...

He wouldn't let anyone take Harry from him.

But, what if they were stronger?

In the orphanage, Tom had been superior. He had been in control because he was stronger, terrifying. Here though... He wasn't very sure if he was strong enough.

He would have to get stronger then, get power and make sure that no one took his Harry from him.

Tom tightened his grip on his book and narrowed his eyes. _Mine,_ he thought, glancing at a laughing Harry. _  
_

Unknown to him, his eyes flashed red for a second.

__.:*Belong*:._ _

Even though he had seen it before, Harry was once again stunned by the amazing sight of Hogwarts as he and the other first years took the boats across the lake towards the castle. He smiled, completely unbothered by the pouring rain that was pounding at them, Tom having tried and succeeded at a charm that shielded them from it.

"Off the boats now! Be careful! It's slippery here!" The ground's keeper, Ogg or something, bellowed as they arrived. As much as Harry enjoyed having Hagrid as the Gamekeeper in the future, he would try his best to make sure Hagrid got his full education and didn't get his wand snapped or expelled.

Harry carefully climbed over the edge of the boat onto dry - well, actually, wet - land, but miscalculated and slipped, kicking the boat away. He let out a small cry, falling and...

"Harry!"

... Landed in Tom's arms.

He blushed, looking up shyly and blushed even more when he realized how close their faces were. Tom looked distressed, worried about Harry and was checking him for injuries.

"I'm fine, Tom, I just tripped..." Harry muttered, straightening in Tom's hold.

"Are you sure?" Harry nodded. "Good." Tom then grabbed his arm and slowly guided him to follow the rest of the children. His grip was firm and Harry doubted that he could make Tom let go. He saw Ida smiling knowing,y at him in that dreamy way of hers and Lyall looking concerned. He gave the latter a grin to say that he was alright. Naradia was smirking and Alex was smiling. The twins, on the other hand, were leering at the two of them, constantly looking from Harry to Tom to the possessive grip Tom had on him.

"Come on, let's go," Naradia said and so the group made its way towards Hogwarts.

Ogg knocked on the door, the same door that Hagrid had, and it opened to reveal Dumbledore.

What happened after was pretty much exactly what happened in Harry's first year. He remembered that quite vividly, really. The ghosts came, scared them, Dumbledore came back, told the ghosts to move along and took them from the antechamber to the Great Hall.

The only part that Harry disliked was the part where everyone began watching them. He subconsciously moved closer to Tom, hiding behind him. Tom let him, but grabbed onto Harry's wrist and squeezed a little as if reassuring him. He looked at the High Table and realized that he didn't recognize anyone except Armando Dippet who he had seen in the diary in his second year.

It wasn't long before Dumbledore was reading out the names.

"Ashcroft, Cassius."

Cassius grinned and bounced up to the stool giving a thumbs up to his audience and bowing before sitting down. Dumbledore chuckled as he dropped the hat onto Cassius' head.

It barely touched his head before bellowing, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Cassius jumped up and threw the hat back, which was caught deftly by a highly amused Dumbledore, and blew kisses as he walked to the Gryffindor table. There was a lot of cheering.

"Ashcroft, Midas."

Midas pretty much did the same thing except that he did a curtsy with his robes before sitting down. The hat again bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!" And he whooped, throwing the hat as well, before running to join his twin and high-fiving him. There was, once again, a thunderous applause.

"Ashcroft, Naradia."

Of course, Naradia was much more subdued as she walked to the stool. Her face was stoic and her expressing almost bored.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Polite clapping broke out and Naradia leisurely made her way to the Ravenclaw table. Harry caught more than a few disappointed faces in the Slytherin crowd though they were gone almost as soon as they appeared.

"Black, Alphard."

Harry started at this name, locking his eyes on the pre-teen walking towards the stool. He drank in the man's features almost obsessively until he was unable to see the other's face anymore.

Alphard Black.

Sirius had told Harry of this man before. He was the Uncle that supported Sirius against the rest of his family. Harry hoped to Merlin that he would be able to befriend his man, know more about him. He was a connection to Sirius.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Alphard smirked a little as he walked to the Slytherin table where he was met with enthusiastic applause.

Harry let his eyes wander, keeping his ear open for the names and houses. He was hoping to spot a splash of Weasley red or messy Potter back in the Gryffindor crowd.

"Crouch, Ceasar."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Dolohov, Antonin."

"SLYTHERIN!"

Harry twitched slightly these somewhat familiar names.

The next few names didn't really catch his attention so he focused on scanning the crowd.

"Fujiwara, Takahiro."

Harry turned his head at this. What an odd name. It must be from another country. He saw a dark haired, dark eyed boy walk to the stool and sit down.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Howell, Ida!"

The dreamy girl gave a smile, which Harry, Lyall and Alex all returned, before skipping to the stool and sitting down.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Ida then skipped to the Ravenclaw table as well.

"Lestrange, Leviathan." Harry felt a simmer of hate at that name, but crushed it as he watched the mischievously grinning boy, who was supposed to be a Lestrange, swaggering up to the stool with a smirk.

"SLYTHERIN!" There was no surprise in that.

"Lupin, Lyall." The sandy haired boy smiled and walked towards the stool with only a hint of nerves before sitting.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Was bellowed after a few moments of consideration.

Lyall grinned and went to join the twins, who glomped him, meeting him halfway.

"Malfoy, Abraxas!" Harry blinked as the Malfoy strode up to the stool, arrogance oozing from his very pores. He and the Malfoy Harry knew, Draco Malfoy, were very much alike. From the air of arrogance, to the pompous, self-assured walk, the platinum blonde hair and the ice-blue eyes.

"SLYTHERIN!" Of course.

"Riddle, Tom."

Harry gave Tom a smile, which he returned with a squeeze of Harry's wrist, before Tom walked up to the stool, gaze cool and face calm. The hat was barely on his head for a moment before it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" For the world to hear.

Tom calmly went to the table that was barely clapping enough to be considered an applause. Harry knew that Tom knew that these Slytherins would look down on him for his surname. He could see the sneers, but he could also see the very faint smirk that curled Tom's lips. Tom sat at the end of the table, not wanting to be near anyone and no one wanting to be near him.

It wasn't long before Harry was called.

"Selwyn, Hadrian."

Harry grimaced as several people perked up at the sound of his name. He exchanged a final smile with Alex before calming his nerves and walking up. It wasn't as if it hadn't been like this before, though he had hoped to get away from all the staring and gossip. He looked at Tom as he sat. The other gave him a smile and nod and that was the last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes.

 _Well, well, well... What have we here?_ The vaguely masculine voice of the Sorting Hat spoke into his mind.

 _Hello, Sorting Hat,_ Harry greeted.

_Yes, hello indeed. How odd, it seems that I have already sorted you once... What are you doing here again?_

_Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who the fuck are you?_ The voice of Fortuna suddenly joined in.

 _My, my, what's this? An immortal..._ The Sorting Hat mused.

_Fortuna, I thought you were asleep._

_Yeah, that's right I'm an immortal. Now what the fuck are you doing here?_ Fortuna seemed irritated, if her tone was anything to go by.

 _Its just the Sorting Hat, Fortuna, it's here to sort me,_ Harry intervened before Fortuna could get any angrier.

_Thats right, little immortal. This is rather private._

_Fine, fine,_ Fortuna grumbled, _chase the snake out then, see if I care. Night night._ Fortuna's presence disappeared, leaving Harry with the Sorting Hat.

 _I'm sorry about her,_ Harry apologized.

 _Its quite alright,_ the Sorting Hat chuckled, _now let's get down to business, hmm? It seems that my other self sorted you very accurately. You make an excellent Gryffindor. However, there is still that Slytherin, hidden deep inside you waiting to be unleashed. You would thrive in either house. Before you were highly reluctant to go to Slytherin, but it seems you've gotten quite attached to young Tom Riddle. Where do you want to go?_

_I would prefer to stay with Tom, but anywhere is fine._

_Well then, it better be..._


	7. Hogwarts

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Tom's eyes widened, staring incredulously at Harry, who was sitting on the stool with the sorting hat.

No... This couldn't be! They couldn't be separated! Harry had said that he wanted to stay with Tom!

 _Tom_! Not that pair of idiotic twins or that stupid Lupin boy!

So... Why?

_You'll become great. You have the potential. And young Harry Selwyn, I can tell, will be one of the greatest influences and the best companion in your life. If you're put together, that is._

The Sorting Hat had told him so and, while he wasn't so sure about the influences part, he knew the companion part was correct. He wanted it to be correct.

Harry was the only one who could possibly understand him, the only one Tom would _allow_ to understand him. Harry was his and they shouldn't - couldn't - be separated.

Tom watched, seething, despairing as Harry looked his way mournfully, walking hesitantly towards the Gryffindor table. Tom narrowed his eyes as the idiotic twins met him halfway, glomping him and dragging Harry over to sit next to them. He growled as Harry smiled, greeting Lupin and looking bashful with the Gryffindors clapping and cheering. Harry laughed along with his newfound friends and clapped joyously as Winterhall, Alexandria walked to the Hufflepuff table, joining the Japanese boy.

For the rest of the feast, not once did Harry look his way.

"Tom..."

Tom gritted his teeth, an emotion he had never got before - sadness - welling up inside him.

"Tom."

It was accompanied by an emotion he was very familiar with - anger - that boiled and burned inside him with a searing, unstoppable heat.

"Hey, Tom, can you hear me?"

Then came the ugly, green _thing_ \- jealousy - that rose, such a different green from the clear, emerald green of Harry's eyes. Something he had thought would be left behind after Harry became his.

But Harry wasn't his.

Harry, Harry was Lupin's and those idiots' and the crowd's and the-

"Tom! Wake up!"

Tom's eyes snapped open, a mesmerizing green above him. Harry looked worried, unsure and Tom blinked, trying to clear the dreams and separate them from the reality. He felt the soft sheets beneath him, uncomfortable due to the sweat that made it cling to his skin. The room was dark, but there was a hovering light above, illuminating the green canopy of his bed.

"Hey, Tom... Um, are you alright? You were having a pretty bad nightmare and you... Er... Kept calling out my name. It was kind of scary," Harry explained, quietly so they wouldn't wake their neighbors. "I couldn't really sleep, so I came over and then saw you tossing and turning."

"I'm alright now, Harry," Tom replied, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was the night of the start of school feast, or maybe early morning of the next day Tom wasn't sure, and both he and Harry had been sorted into Slytherin.

Stupid subconscious. Projecting these kinds of doubts...

"Uh, Tom..." Harry mumbled, chewing on his lip. Tom raised an eyebrow, sitting up and absently clearing the mess away his a flick of his hand and some concentration. "Can I... Sleepherewithyoutonight?"

Tom blinked, trying and failing to untangle the slew of words that had escaped Harry's mouth seemingly all at once. "Pardon?"

Harry bit his lip slightly. "Can I... Um, sleep with you in your bed tonight?" He asked, tentatively, as if he were afraid of being rebuked. At once, Tom felt relief surge within him. Harry still needed him, Harry was still his - though the other would deny it and scold him vehemently if he had said that aloud. "I can't seem to settle down and fall asleep by myself so please can I sleep here?" And then the most pitiful look Harry had ever worn was shoved into his face and Tom felt an amused smile grace his face. He wanted to tease Harry about his request, but Tom wouldn't do that while Harry had ammo. Tom was the one that had a nightmare, after all.

"Of course," Tom agreed after a moment. He absently wondered what their neighbors would think when they woke up to find the two of them in the same bed, but that would never happen, since they had both asked their Magic to protect their privacy.

As Harry snuggled down, Tom almost let a grin flitter across his face. He couldn't wait for morning to come. He had a feeling that Hogwarts was going to be great.

_.:*Hogwarts*:._

Hogwarts was not great. That was the conclusion Tom came to after the first day.

They didn't get to do anything.

The professors droned on and on about what they were going to learn, and they didn't actually learn anything. Just listening absolutely bored him. He and Harry could already do all that stuff. He didn't need anything this school could give him. If this was the level they taught at, then what was the use of coming to Hogwarts?

"Welcome, my students, to Transfiguration Class."

Tom glared up at the smiling old professor. That idiot was annoying. And, for some reason, Harry really enjoyed the presence of that senile old coot.

Tom wasn't jealous, really, he wasn't. After all, who would be jealous of some old man with grey ing hair and freakishly long beard? Not Tom, that was for absolute certain. Tom just hated the fact that Harry always seemed to be delighted when near the other. Harry always smiled a tad but brighter when the other was around and seemed to relax in the old man's presence. His gaze held respect, too much of it for Tom's taste.

"Transfiguration is probably the hardest class in the curriculum we have at Hogwarts. It's a very delicate art, so, to avoid possibly fatal accidents, I hope you will all be on your best behavior and listen to what I say," Dumbledore directed a stern glare to his students at this before returning to his previous happy demeanor. "In this class you will learn how to do this," a wave of his wand and the desk became a pig, "and this," another wave and a quill became a rooster, "or similar things, at least." He gave his wand another wave and they turned back.

Many of the students were in awe and probably would've been giddy if their other classes weren't such let downs. They hadn't gotten to do a scrap of practical work.

"Since I doubt you want an in depth description of the curriculum and the theory is unnecessarily complicated, I shall start you off with some practical work." At once, everyone, Slytherins included, noticeably perked up. Even Tom was feeling anticipation. He looked beside him and frowned a little. Harry didn't seem all that excited. There wasn't really much change in his demeanor except for the more prominent glimmer in his eyes. For Dumbledore.

At once, Tom's mood plummeted and he sulked, not that he'd ever admit he was sulking. Why couldn't Harry pay more attention to Tom? Like before, when Tom was the center of Harry's world.

He huffed and took out his wand as soon as they were given the assignment. Turn matches into needles? Simple. He and Harry could do that wandless with their eyes closed and their hands behind their backs. But they might as well try the spell, right?

Muttering the incantation grumpily, Tom jabbed his wand at the match. It jolted up, surprising him, but became a needle with ease. He smirked with satisfaction as he eyed the other struggling students. Harry was the only one who had gotten it on the first try like him.

Ha! None of the others could ever match up to either of them. That's why they were the best, why he was the only one Harry belonged to.

"Very well done, Mr. Riddle, Mr. Selwyn," a voice said from behind them. Tom hid a scowl and looked behind him. Dumbledore. He couldn't help but glare up at the man even as Harry beamed at the praise. "On the first try, too. Ten points for each of you."

"Thank you, Professor," a Harry said, receiving a nod of approval in return. Dumbledore then looked to him. The older man's eyes twinkled with amusement at the glare he was receiving and Tom's eye twitched.

"Thank you... Sir," Tom eventually drawled out, giving a reluctant, but polite smile. Tom received a pat on the head instead of the nod and he clenched his fists.

"Keep practicing and why not try to transfigure patterns this time?" Dumbledore suggested before going off to help some other students.

Damned old man. He did that to irritate him, Tom just knew it. He looked to Harry who was inspecting his own needle. When Harry saw his stare, he smiled back confusedly and Tom exhaled, trying to relax enough to smile back. He managed a twitch of his lips, but that head pat had really cut his temper short. Too short for genuine smiles.

Stupid old fool.

.:*Hogwarts*:.

Harry thought it was relatively nice. He was able to meet new people and get to know the teachers on the first day. There might have not been any practical work, but Harry used the first class of all his subjects to compare the curriculum of this time and his time. It wasn't very exciting, true, but a boring, ordinary Hogwarts was something of novelty to him. He might as well enjoy the normality while it lasts, not that there was much of that in first place, considering the fact that he was going to Hogwarts as Tom Marvolo Riddle's best friend.

Transfiguration was a pleasant surprise. They had it with the Ravenclaws, but had arrived late and were, thus, unable to get a seat next to Naradia and Ida. However, his mood lifted because of three things.

One, they got to do practical work. True, it was only the match to needle transfiguration they learned in first year, but he and Tom had fun transfiguring different patterns onto the needles and comparing them. They also got twenty house points for Slytherin, which was a bonus.

Man, he never thought he'd actually ever say that getting house points for Slytherin was a good thing, ever.

Secondly, Tom seemed to get along very well with Dumbledore! And that was great, because while Tom and Fortuna were somewhat wary of the man (Fortuna said it was because he was too powerful), Harry really did want to get along with his past - future? - mentor. Dumbledore seemed fond of them, too, despite being the head of Gryffindor while Tom and Harry were in Slytherin. Harry didn't want to be able to believe that Dumbledore was a bad person.

Thirdly, Harry was just really glad how he had friends in every house. There was Lyall and the twins in Gryffindor, Alex in Hufflepuff, Naradia and Ida in Ravenclaw and, last but not least, Tom in Slytherin. Harry personally thought they made one big, happy family. He was really glad that Tom seemed to be getting along fine with the others, even if he was a bit quiet. The Slytherin heir answered their questions politely and occasionally joined them in their games. If that wasn't a good sign, then what was?

Harry hummed as he chopped the salamander tail carefully and precisely. As much as his magic had grown and his knowledge of the future stayed, his potions skills still weren't the greatest. Luckily for him, Tom demanded to be his partner and the other boy was much better at potions than he. One would think, with Harry's experience in cooking, he would get progressively better at potions, but no! His potions skills weren't very good, passable at most... But at least they weren't appalling. Five years under Snape's tutelage had to mean _something_ right? Harry could dice and slice and prepare the ingredients, it was just actually making the potion which he failed utterly at.

Pushing the chopped up salamander tail to Tom, the slightly taller boy scrutinized it and gave Harry an approving nod, gathering the salamander tail and putting it into a bowl to use later. Harry puffed up with pride at that. Tom was a perfectionist and, to get his approval, that was a big thing. He had finished with his part, now Tom just had to complete the last stages of the potion.

Tom moved and went about putting the salamander tails with an amazing efficiency as he finished up the potion. He was rather stunning to look at as he worked. He went about the work station swiftly, not even having to glance at the instructions as he stirred the potion three times clockwise and left it simmer.

Harry smiled a little.

_Someone's got a crush~_

The teasing voice had him jumping in surprise. Fortuna.

Instead of the annoyance he would usually have felt when being teased by the immortal, he felt relief. Fortuna had been worryingly quiet and tired recently and Harry had no idea why. He mentally scowled at the snake.

_I do not have a crush on Tom, Fortuna._

_Ah ah, I didn't say it was you nor did I say it was Tom being crushed on._

Harry rolled his eyes. _You implied it._

_... Tom is really rubbing off on you isn't he? I remember a time where you would stutter and blush... You're no fun, anymore!_

Harry swore the mental presence of Fortuna was pouting, how she achieved that he wasn't sure though. Probably the same way he conveyed eye rolls and scowls mentally, but he didn't actually know how he did that.

 _So... Where have you been recently? I haven't talked with you in a long time,_ Harry commented.

 _Oh, here and there,_ Fortuna said cryptically. _Well, I'm going to get some shut eye. I'll be in the dorms on the bed if ya need me._ And with that the link was cut.

Harry frowned a little, wondering what Fortuna had been doing.

A boom cut off his thought process and he instinctively threw himself down, taking Tom with him. Just in time to avoid a flying porcupine quill and smoke that came from the table beside them.

The Ashcroft twins.

Slughorn quickly rushed over, muttering incantations and clearing up the botched up potion. "Mister Ashcroft and Mister Ashcroft," Slughorn puffed angrily. "What in Merlin's name happened?"

The twins were grinning sheepishly, covered in black ash. "Er... Oops?" One of the two ventured.

Slughorn sighed. "Well, at least nothing too bad occurred. Just be thankful that it wasn't deadly."

"Those fools," Harry heard Tom grumble from beside him as they picked themselves up, "Don't they know that you have to turn the heat down before adding the porcupine quills?"

Harry had to bite his lip to stifle a laugh. Tom sounded so much like Snape that it was disturbing to the point of being funny. "I didn't know that either," he told Tom with a grin.

All Tom did was raise an eyebrow and smirk. "I know you didn't know. That's why I'm the one in charge of making the potion, no?"

Harry mentally told Tom he was lucky to avoid being hit by their cauldron.


End file.
